Andy Burnham is set to become the UK’s next prime minister, but as he prepares to move into Downing Street, world leaders are sizing him up – and Vladimir Putin’s fiercest critic warns the Russian president will never make peace in Ukraine, fearing he would be “strung up from a lamp post” if he did.
Sir Bill Browder, the anti-corruption campaigner who once ran the biggest investment fund in Russia, told The Independent’s World of Trouble podcast: “If he does a peace deal, he’ll lose power. If he loses power, then he’ll get strung up from a lamp post.” Browder, who has fought Putin for nearly two decades, said Russia had suffered over 1.2 million casualties in Ukraine, and that the president could not afford to end the war because a million people marching on Red Square would finish him. “You create a foreign enemy, and you start a war. And that’s the reason why this war is not going to end,” he added.
“Andy Burnham set to be PM, Starmer plans World Cup dash, Putin warned he cannot end Ukraine war.”
Outgoing Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, meanwhile, is eyeing a last-minute dash to the US for the World Cup final if England beat Argentina on Wednesday, according to sources cited by The Times. The plan would see him watch the game at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium on Sunday before flying back to London to arrive around 7:30am, then give his final speech at Downing Street and formally tender his resignation to the King. A No 10 source said there would be no delay to the transfer of power. Burnham received an extra 27 nominations from Labour MPs on Monday, taking his total to 349, and will be “coronated” that afternoon.
The transition comes as Burnham faces international scrutiny. BBC correspondents report that Donald Trump has been “fairly dismissive” of Burnham, knowing little beyond his being a “mayor of a town” and suspecting he is “extremely liberal”. US officials are already pressuring Burnham’s team, hoping for continuity in foreign policy – including keeping Yvette Cooper as foreign secretary – but wary of Ed Miliband as chancellor given his ban on new North Sea oil and gas drilling licences. Tensions over US access to British military bases during the Iran War are still simmering.
Burnham once pointed to China’s high-speed rail network as a model for the North of England, but as prime minister he will have to balance economic benefit against national security risks, with UK intelligence services raising concerns about spying and intellectual property theft. Starmer took a pragmatic approach, becoming the first UK prime minister in eight years to visit Beijing. The question now is whether Burnham will follow suit.
Downing Street also hit back at remarks by Argentina’s foreign minister, Pablo Quirno, who claimed the Falklands population were “artificially implanted by the occupying power”. The prime minister’s official spokesman said: “The UK’s position is clear. The islanders have repeatedly expressed their wish to remain a British overseas territory, and their right to self-determination is paramount.” The government is considering a bank holiday on 24 July if England wins the World Cup.
As Burnham prepares to take the reins, the war in Ukraine shows no sign of ending – and, if Browder is right, it never will while Putin remains in power.
