By GB News (Politics) | Created at 2026-09-18 18:46:41 | Updated at 2026-09-19 02:47:38
8 hours ago
Andy Burnham is could risk igniting a row with Donald Trump ahead of their first meeting as the new Prime Minister "won't bend the knee like his predecessor".
The Prime Minister is due to meet the US President in New York next Tuesday on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
The meeting is expected to be more informal than Sir Keir's initial encounter with Mr Trump in September 2024.
But officials have warned Mr Burnham’s more direct approach could create friction with the Commander-in-Chief.
One British diplomat warned the "King of the North" would not "bend the knee in the way Starmer did”.
Meanwhile, another official said he would not "kiss the ring" of the Republican.
Mr Burnham has said he will "say what he feels" to the President while searching for a "connection", with the two leaders expected to discuss Ukraine and wider security concerns.
The aim, one Whitehall insider told Politico, is to "get the Trump meeting done and dusted in a relatively safe environment".
Andy Burnham 'won't bend the knee' like Sir Keir Starmer
The Prime Minister visited Ukraine last month and is expected to press Mr Trump over continued American military support, including missile supplies.
Sir Keir's tumultuous relationship with Mr Trump turned frosty after the Prime Minister refused to support the US strikes on Iran back in February.
The lack of support triggered a series of personal jibes from the President, including Mr Trump saying Sir Keir "was no Winston Churchill".
In response to the dig, Labour MP Toby Perkins hit back, telling GB News: "Well, it's not Franklin Roosevelt that we're dealing with either."
The pair shared a tumultuous relationship
PA
After the Prime Minister refused to give his explicit blessing to the US over bombing Iran, the President has ramped up his spat with Sir Keir over support from Britain.
He previously accused the Labour leader of being "unhelpful", while many began to fear for the fate of the US-UK special relationship.
In the Commons, the Prime Minister delivered a statement to MPs about the turmoil across the Middle East – and refused to explicitly support or condemn Mr Trump's military action.
"We all remember the mistakes of Iraq and we have learned those lessons. Any UK actions must always have a lawful basis and a viable, thought-through plan," he said.
As part of a way to hit out at Sir Keir's premiership, Mr Trump also targeted the "stupidity" of the highly controversial Chagos deal.
He wrote on Truth Social: "Shockingly, our 'brilliant' Nato ally, the United Kingdom, is currently planning to give away the Island of Diego Garcia, the site of a vital US Military Base, to Mauritius, and to do so FOR NO REASON WHATSOEVER.
"There is no doubt that China and Russia have noticed this act of total weakness," he added.
Fears have long been raised that the base could be under threat of Chinese espionage due to close economic ties between Beijing and Mauritius.
