Donald Trump has been dismissive of Andy Burnham, the man set to become the UK's next prime minister, referring to him as a "mayor of a town" and suspecting he is "extremely liberal", BBC correspondents have reported.
Trump's scepticism centres on whether Burnham will address the US president's biggest criticisms of Sir Keir Starmer's government: immigration policy and drilling in the North Sea oil field. US administration officials view the possibility of Ed Miliband being named chancellor as evidence that British environmental policy will remain unchanged, given Miliband's ban on new North Sea oil and gas drilling licences as energy secretary.
“Trump dismisses incoming UK PM Burnham as a 'mayor of a town' and 'extremely liberal'.”
Despite Trump's warm relationship with Starmer, which the outgoing prime minister's team hailed as one of his biggest successes, the US president later mocked Starmer as "no Winston Churchill" in a row over the refusal to permit UK bases for the initial US-Israel strikes on Iran. At the Nato summit in Ankara, Turkey, Trump repeated his criticism of the UK's response to the conflict. But Starmer said Trump wished him well as he prepares to leave Downing Street: "Yes he did, and we're going to stay in touch."
Starmer, who announced his resignation last month, could be replaced by Burnham on 20 July. Burnham's relative obscurity in the US poses both risk and opportunity: he could win Trump over with a charm offensive, or differences on military spending, digital service taxes, energy extraction and trade could define their relationship before a personal connection forms.
Beneath the surface, US officials are pressuring Burnham's team to form a government to their liking. They hope for continuity in foreign policy leadership, including keeping Yvette Cooper as foreign secretary. Tensions over US access to British military bases during the Iran War are still simmering, and Trump wants the UK to set an even higher example on defence spending for the rest of Europe.
Elsewhere, Burnham once pointed to China's high-speed rail network as a model for the North of England. As prime minister, any relationship with Beijing must balance economic benefit against national security risks, such as spying and intellectual property theft. Starmer took a pragmatic approach, becoming the first UK prime minister in eight years to visit Beijing. The question is whether Burnham will follow suit or take a different line.
