UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham and US President Donald Trump held their first face-to-face meeting at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, with trade, defence, Ukraine, the Middle East and artificial intelligence among the issues on the agenda.
Following the meeting, Trump described Burnham as a “natural businessman” and said the relationship with Britain was stronger than it had been under former prime minister Keir Starmer. The two also discussed investment, energy and bilateral economic ties. The meeting came after a cautious build-up, given the pair’s previous public disagreements.
But significant differences remained. Trump strongly criticised the UK’s agreement concerning sovereignty of the Chagos Islands and the continued lease of the Diego Garcia military base, calling the arrangement “terrible” and “ridiculous”.
Burnham also raised the impact of the conflict involving Iran, particularly its consequences for energy prices, shipping and the British cost of living. Britain has separately authorised limited defensive military support for Saudi Arabia against Iran-backed Houthi attacks, involving an RAF Voyager for air-to-air refuelling.
Ukraine was another priority, with Burnham expected to press Washington for additional air-defence support ahead of winter. AI also featured prominently, as Britain seeks greater international cooperation on the technology and plans to make AI governance a central theme of its 2027 G20 presidency in Manchester.
The talks marked Burnham’s first major appearance on the global diplomatic stage since becoming prime minister in July.
