Burnham Holds First Face-to-Face Meeting With Trump in New York

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham held his first face-to-face meeting with US President Donald Trump in New York this week, a sit-down that unfolded against the backdrop of a sometimes prickly history between the two men. Burnham travelled to New York along with several UK ministers and members of his team for the encounter, one of his first major outings on the international stage as prime minister.

The meeting was notable given past friction: Trump had once described Burnham as the mayor of a town, while Burnham had previously suggested Trump would not be welcome in Manchester, the city with which he is closely associated. Despite that history, the meeting was reported to have gone remarkably well, according to accounts from British aides.

The encounter took place as world leaders gathered in New York for the United Nations General Assembly, with Trump using his own appearance at the assembly to call on nations to unite in isolating Iran and to push for lower global energy prices, while offering a robust defense of his administration's foreign policy, including the decision to strike Iran.

Burnham's visit to New York also coincided with other developments covered by British media this week, including concerns raised by charities over anti-immigration activity in the English Channel, a warning from MPs to UK financial institutions about investment tied to Israeli settlement activity in the West Bank, and Burnham's own remarks opening the door to a future UK referendum on rejoining the European Union, while stressing that his immediate focus remains on rebuilding relations with European allies.

The prime minister's team characterized the Trump meeting as being at the top end of their expectations, suggesting relief among British officials that an early diplomatic test with the unpredictable American president had passed without major incident.