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Burnham Heads to New York for First Face-to-Face With Trump
(MENAFN) Prime Minister Andy Burnham departed Stansted on Monday bound for New York, where he is set to attend his first major gathering of world leaders at the UN General Assembly and hold his inaugural in-person talks with US President Donald Trump on Tuesday. Ukraine and the ongoing conflict in the Middle East top the agenda for the meeting.
The encounter marks a notable shift for two leaders who have clashed repeatedly over the years but are now working to build a functional relationship. Burnham, while serving as Mayor of Greater Manchester in 2017, said Trump would not be welcome in the city, and by 2019 had gone further, vowing to refuse a meeting with him altogether. His criticism has persisted since — campaigning in Makerfield this month, he described American politics as "polarized" and "poisonous." During the 2021 storming of the US Capitol, he wrote on X that "Any UK politician who gave Trump the time of day should be ashamed right now."
Since taking office as prime minister in July, Burnham has struck a different tone, emphasizing the need to find common ground even with political opponents, saying he always tries to find "common ground."
For his part, Trump has called Burnham "a nice guy," even as he has stirred controversy with UK officials by voicing support for Irish reunification and speculating publicly about the future status of the Falkland Islands, a territory claimed by both Britain and Argentina.
Labour Party chairwoman Bridget Phillipson framed Burnham's approach to Washington as a pragmatic one. Speaking to a radio station on Sunday, she acknowledged that the UK and US wouldn't see eye to eye on every issue given their differing political traditions, but stressed that preserving the relationship remains vital to Britain's national interest — and said she trusts Burnham to keep the country's interests front and center. "We won't agree with the US administration on everything," she said.
Trump, meanwhile, has previously branded Burnham "extremely liberal" and predicted he "probably won't open up" the North Sea to further oil and gas drilling.
Skeptics point to Burnham's limited foreign policy track record as a potential liability heading into the talks, though some believe his business-friendly instincts could work in his favor with Trump. Burnham himself describes his governing philosophy as "business-friendly socialism" — a blend of active state intervention paired with targeted support for private enterprise. He has cultivated close ties with the business community, even as his regulatory decisions have drawn a mix of praise and pushback.
The encounter marks a notable shift for two leaders who have clashed repeatedly over the years but are now working to build a functional relationship. Burnham, while serving as Mayor of Greater Manchester in 2017, said Trump would not be welcome in the city, and by 2019 had gone further, vowing to refuse a meeting with him altogether. His criticism has persisted since — campaigning in Makerfield this month, he described American politics as "polarized" and "poisonous." During the 2021 storming of the US Capitol, he wrote on X that "Any UK politician who gave Trump the time of day should be ashamed right now."
Since taking office as prime minister in July, Burnham has struck a different tone, emphasizing the need to find common ground even with political opponents, saying he always tries to find "common ground."
For his part, Trump has called Burnham "a nice guy," even as he has stirred controversy with UK officials by voicing support for Irish reunification and speculating publicly about the future status of the Falkland Islands, a territory claimed by both Britain and Argentina.
Labour Party chairwoman Bridget Phillipson framed Burnham's approach to Washington as a pragmatic one. Speaking to a radio station on Sunday, she acknowledged that the UK and US wouldn't see eye to eye on every issue given their differing political traditions, but stressed that preserving the relationship remains vital to Britain's national interest — and said she trusts Burnham to keep the country's interests front and center. "We won't agree with the US administration on everything," she said.
Trump, meanwhile, has previously branded Burnham "extremely liberal" and predicted he "probably won't open up" the North Sea to further oil and gas drilling.
Skeptics point to Burnham's limited foreign policy track record as a potential liability heading into the talks, though some believe his business-friendly instincts could work in his favor with Trump. Burnham himself describes his governing philosophy as "business-friendly socialism" — a blend of active state intervention paired with targeted support for private enterprise. He has cultivated close ties with the business community, even as his regulatory decisions have drawn a mix of praise and pushback.
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