British Prime Minister Burnham Meets Trump at UN, Discusses UK Future

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham is set to meet President Donald Trump for the first time at the United Nations in New York.

Burnham is expected to invite Trump to Manchester. Burnham will address the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, making his debut as Prime Minister on the global stage. He will insist the UK is not on the slide, stating it is the fastest-growing country in the G7. Burnham aims to give an upbeat message about the UK's direction over the next 10 years and making life more affordable.

The Prime Minister declined to rule out including a pledge to rejoin the European Union in Labour's next election manifesto, stating such questions are for another day. He emphasized his immediate priority is to build on former Prime Minister Keir Starmer's work in rebuilding bridges with the EU and reaching practical agreements. Burnham is also due to meet with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday.

He has previously called Brexit damaging. Burnham and Trump have spoken twice on the phone, but their in-person meeting is expected to be their first. Burnham has set out a different approach to Trump compared to his predecessor, Keir Starmer, who sought to win over the US leader. The two leaders enter their meeting with different objectives, political philosophies, and ways of doing business.

Burnham will argue for Britain to play a leadership role on artificial intelligence, highlighting common ground he found with Trump on AI's benefits and risks. The Prime Minister offered UK military support for the Saudis, agreeing to provide defensive air-to-air refueling for Saudi jets for a limited period. Trump has previously unnerved the Burnham Government with his pro-Putin stance on Ukraine and hints about not aiding the UK in defense of the Falkland Islands. Burnham is also scheduled to meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday.