Donald Trump has asserted his relationship with the UK is “more up” with Andy Burnham than under Keir Starmer despite tensions between the two countries on a range of thorny issues including regulation of artificial intelligence, the Chagos islands and the war in Iran. At their first face-to-face meeting, the US president praised Burnham, who sat nervously alongside him, as a “natural businessperson”, saying he thought he had “lots of assets on his side” and would be a “great” prime minister. Burnham, who was joined in the talks by Ed Miliband, the foreign secretary, and Jonathan Powell, his national security adviser, said he and Trump had built on the “good connection” they established early on, in an effort to shore up relations which had splintered over Iran.
UK officials reacted with relief that the talks appeared to have gone according to plan. But despite the warm words at the UN general assembly in New York, there were still signs of difficulties ahead. On his way to the US, Burnham had revealed he would urge the US president to de-escalate the Iran conflict, with turmoil in the Middle East pushing up global energy prices, putting the UK economy under intense pressure.
Much of the summit has been dominated by geopolitical turbulence, with Trump using his speech to double down on his strategy. The president repeated his threat to “annihilate” Iran, adding he would “drive them into hell” if they did not back down and sign a peace deal with the US. Asked later whether he had any sympathy with allies which were feeling pain over the cost of living as a result of his actions, Trump claimed that “as soon as the war is over the prices are going to come way down”.
Trump, who has suggested Iran could agree to a deal after the US midterms in November, said “people understand” the need to prevent Tehran obtaining a nuclear weapon, even if that meant price hikes at the petrol pumps and in shops. In his own UN speech, Burnham was expected to push for greater international control over AI. He revealed to business leaders that he wants a “single set of global principles and standards” to guard against rogue AI, saying the issue would be a main focus of the UK’s G20 presidency next year.
But Burnham’s ambition for the UK to be an “honest broker” between countries in that could set him on a collision course with Trump, who has called warnings about AI’s existential threat to humanity a “hoax” and gave a defiant speech in which he intensified his criticism of attempts to regulate the emerging technology. We’re going to encourage it, not rein it in,” he said. In another schism between the two countries, Trump was scathing about the UK’s deal to give away sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, while paying for a lease of the military base of Diego Garcia.
It was a terrible deal. [Mauritius] all of a sudden say they have ownership. Somebody has ownership that never showed up before after decades and centuries. I think it’s ridiculous,” he said.
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