Prime Minister Andy Burnham says he will put the UK’s interests first in his dealings with Donald Trump, even if it means disagreeing with the US president.
They spoke over the phone on Monday, within an hour of Mr Burnham arriving in Downing Street.
Speaking to the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg, Mr Burnham said: “I can’t at any point say that I won’t take a different opinion from him [Donald Trump], that I will need to voice a different idea that is right for Britain.”
The new Prime Minister said he would publicly disagree with Mr Trump if necessary, adding: “You have to defend your own national interest before anything else. That’s what you’re required to do if you’re to do this job properly.”
After the call, Mr Trump stated in a post on Truth Social that Mr Burnham “has got a big job ahead of him, but he will be able to do it” and pledged that the US “will be there to help”.
Downing Street described the 20-minute conversation as “extremely warm”.
Relations between Washington and Sir Keir Starmer’s government became increasingly fractious over the Iran conflict.
New Defence Secretary Wes Streeting is seeking to improve the relationship and by working with the US to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and promising to invest in the UK military.
A source close to Mr Streeting said he shared a “very warm conversation” with his US counterpart Pete Hegseth, in which they brainstormed ideas for an international conference which allies of the UK and US would attend, but have not yet firmed up the details of a summit.
Mr Streeting told Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips on Sky News of the meeting: “I was clear that we’ve not supported offensive action in Iran and we won’t support offensive action in Iran, but there are plenty of things that we can and should do together when it comes to securing the Strait of Hormuz, in making sure that Iran doesn’t develop nuclear weapons, in terms of investing in our capability and Nato’s capability.”
But, he conceded “it’s hard to undertake that work… while hostilities continue, and that’s why every effort is being made, particularly by allies in the regions, to try and bring about the conditions where we can achieve that”.
He also said “you don’t suck up” to Mr Trump’s administration, while declining to say whether he trusts the US president.
“I don’t know him, but I do trust the United States.”
Questioned on defence policy, Mr Burnham refused to be drawn on a timetable for increasing spending to 3% of GDP.
Mr Burnham said he was “very aware” of Chancellor John Healey’s resignation as Sir Keir’s defence secretary, citing a lack of commitment to spending that amount by 2030.
He said: “The first challenge facing us both is to ensure that the defence investment plan is fully funded and that’s the thing that’s right in front of us and we need to work that through as we go towards the budget later this year.”
Mr Healey had accused the former chancellor, Rachel Reeves, and Sir Keir, of putting the country’s security at risk with a disagreement over the long-awaited defence investment plan.
The former prime minister had said he would increase defence spending by £15 billion.
This would put the UK on a trajectory for defence spending to hit 3% of GDP in the next parliament, according to Sir Keir, but this would still be below the Nato target of 3.5% by 2035.
Mr Burnham told reporters on Wednesday that he and Mr Healey wanted to “honour” the UK’s Nato commitments.
Mr Streeting said “it’s for the Chancellor to set out” at the budget how to hit the Nato target, as he noted it was not just about securing more funds for defence but also reforming.
The Defence Secretary said that “one of the reasons the Prime Minister’s asked me to do this job is because I’m a moderniser” as he vowed to “spend money wisely”.
Elsewhere in his interview with the public broadcaster, Mr Burnham ruled out an early general election, saying Britain had “voted for a manifesto” in 2024.
“There’s no early general election. I don’t think people want it,” he said.
He added: “I just think what I most need to do is get Britain focused on getting the country back where it should be.”
