Britain's newly installed Prime Minister Andy Burnham held his first meeting with US President Donald Trump on Tuesday, and the encounter got off to a cordial start. Trump set aside their differences over the Middle East, describing the British leader as someone with an innate business instinct. The two spoke on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, with the conversation running longer than the scheduled 30 minutes.
In his debut address to the General Assembly, Burnham warned of the dangers posed by unregulated artificial intelligence and the corrosive spread of disinformation in society. For the new prime minister, this represented a major test. In just a few short weeks, he has risen from his role as mayor of Manchester in northwest England to leading a G7 nation. At home, there had been concerns that a Burnham-Trump meeting might produce awkward moments. As they sat down for talks in front of both nations' flags, Trump remarked that transatlantic ties were "in a better place than they were under your predecessor."
"From my dealings with Prime Minister Andy, I think we're getting along very well," Trump said. British officials are well aware that Trump can be unpredictable. He was initially friendly toward Burnham's predecessor, Keir Starmer, but the relationship soured over Britain's refusal to join the US and Israel in their war against Iran. To London's relief, the first meeting between Burnham and the president, who had once dismissed him as "the mayor of a small city," largely avoided any humiliation. Burnham responded, "We don't hold that against you."
Burnham acknowledged that differences exist between the two countries. He noted that on issues like trade and the Falkland Islands, Trump was "willing to listen to our perspective." Trump recently commented on the future of the South Atlantic archipelago, which is under British control but also claimed by Argentina, which calls it the Malvinas. The two nations fought a brief war over the islands in 1982. However, on another potential flashpoint—Britain's ban on trade with Israeli settlements in the West Bank—Trump said he was unaware of the policy. The Chagos Islands remain a point of contention.
Trump's sharpest criticism was reserved for Britain's plan to transfer sovereignty over the Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean to Mauritius. Britain argues the deal would secure the future of the US strategic military base on Diego Garcia, the largest island in the chain. But the agreement's ratification has stalled after the Trump administration withdrew its backing. British officials concede the deal is now up in the air. Trump called it "a bad deal," saying the territory was "extremely important ground from a military and strategic standpoint."
"I think the prime minister will take another look at this," Trump said. Burnham maintained that Britain is still working to finalize the agreement, adding, "I'm confident we can find a solution together with our American partners." Before the meeting, Burnham said he would discuss with Trump ways to end the on-and-off war between the US and Iran, a conflict that has disrupted oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz and driven up global fuel prices. Attacks by Houthi rebels on Saudi energy infrastructure have further exacerbated the crisis, making it harder for Burnham to deliver on his promise to ease the cost-of-living pressure on British voters.
En route to New York for the global leaders' summit, Burnham announced he had approved limited military support for Saudi Arabia to help it defend against Iran-backed Houthi attacks originating from Yemen. He said Royal Air Force aircraft would provide aerial refueling for Saudi jets carrying out "defensive operations" to shoot down Houthi missiles. Burnham also indicated he would urge Trump to increase aid to Ukraine, particularly air defense missiles ahead of a fresh wave of winter attacks from Russia. It remains unclear whether he made any headway on that issue.
Burnham's UN address centers on artificial intelligence
In his speech to the UN General Assembly, Burnham argued that Britain could serve both as a driving force and a cautious counterbalance amid the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence. He called on world leaders to heed the warnings surrounding AI and establish global regulatory standards, stating that "the fundamental decisions about this technology are too important to leave to chance." He said AI holds enormous potential, but it will also "disrupt the way we live and work, amplifying all kinds of risks. We've all heard the warnings, and we must take them seriously."
Burnham said Britain would push for the adoption of rules on transparency and access to AI models, and go a step further by seeking to hold tech companies to those same standards. That stance could put him at odds with Trump, who told the UN on Tuesday that the US "categorically rejects any attempt to build a global framework to regulate AI." Burnham also said Britain would "draw a line under the decade since Brexit in 2016," suggesting the decision to leave the EU was a misstep, partly fueled by disinformation. He added that he had tasked the head of British security services with setting up a national information defense center to counter such threats.