Donald Trump has given his first public reaction to the man widely expected to be the next UK prime minister, describing Andy Burnham as an “extremely liberal” politician who is “the mayor of a town” and “probably won’t open up” the North Sea for further oil and gas drilling. Burnham’s team declined to comment on the US president’s remarks.
The new MP for Makerfield is the only candidate in the race to replace Sir Keir Starmer as Labour leader and prime minister, a position he is expected to assume next month in the absence of any challengers. In a campaign video posted online, Burnham announced he will donate 15% of his MP’s salary – currently £98,599 – to local causes in his constituency, continuing a practice he followed for nine years as Greater Manchester mayor when he donated part of his £118,267 salary to tackle homelessness. “One thing that I want to continue from my time as mayor of Greater Manchester is donating 15% of my salary,” he said. “I did that for nine years as mayor to tackle homelessness in Greater Manchester and I am going to carry it forward as MP for Makerfield but this time donating to worthy local causes at the heart of our communities.” He is starting with the Stubshaw Cross community and sports club, a local venue that served as his campaign headquarters during the byelection in which he defeated Reform UK.
“Trump calls Andy Burnham 'extremely liberal' and 'mayor of a town' as Burnham prepares to become UK prime minister.”
Burnham’s path to Number 10, however, is already shadowed by a major decision over North Sea drilling that Trump is watching closely. Labour MPs and climate campaigners are abandoning resistance to the Jackdaw gas field, 150 miles east of Aberdeen, ahead of Burnham’s expected entry into Downing Street. Bill Esterson, chair of the House of Commons Energy Security and Net Zero Committee, said: “My assumption is that both Jackdaw and Rosebank will go ahead.” One Labour MP and leading backbench climate advocate, granted anonymity to discuss lobbying strategy, said: “It’s important to show that we understand that people’s jobs are on the line and that’s not a secondary concern. I think there needs to be a pragmatic approach — so I’m picking the battle of Rosebank.” If either project gets the green light, it could represent an early sweetener for Burnham’s relationship with Trump, who has repeatedly told Starmer to take a more liberal approach to drilling. Final legal approval sits with Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, whose department said it prioritises “a fair, orderly and prosperous transition in the North Sea in line with our climate and legal obligations.”
Burnham has been critical of Trump in the past. In 2017 he told the Manchester Evening News he would refuse to meet the US president as a “matter of principle” if he visited Manchester, accusing him of sharing “hateful extremist material” online. After the 2021 Capitol riots he posted on X that “any UK politician who gave Trump the time of day should be ashamed right now”. Despite this, some Labour ministers forged close relationships with Trump’s administration – notably David Lammy, who built a friendship with Vice President JD Vance. The question of how to handle Trump will be one of the great challenges of Burnham’s premiership, and his early moves on North Sea drilling will be closely watched.