Burnham’s past criticism of Trump ‘no bar to strong relationship’ – minister

Andy Burnham’s past criticism of Donald Trump was “politics” and “no bar to having a strong relationship”, a minister has said as the Prime Minister prepares for his first meeting with the US president.

The two leaders are expected to come face to face at the UN general assembly next week in New York, having spoken to each other at least twice on the phone since Mr Burnham entered Downing Street in July.

Speaking to broadcasters on Sunday, Labour chairwoman Bridget Phillipson was asked whether the encounter could prove awkward in light of past remarks, including his 2021 assertion that “any politician who gave Trump the time of day should be ashamed right now.”

“Look, I think what you’ve just described there is politics, and the president knows that,” Ms Phillipson, who is also equalities minister, told Sky News’s Sunday Morning programme.

“This is… far from unique, and people will express views at different points on different topics, and that’s no bar to having a strong relationship.

“And the reason that matters is because the US is someone that is essential to our ability to share intelligence, to work together on defence, whether that’s Ukraine and much, much more besides.

“That will be at the forefront of Andy Burnham’s mind when he meets President Trump face to face.”

The Prime Minister has previously defended his past remarks about Mr Trump and insisted he would find “common ground” and “find a connection” with the president.

In 2017, the former Greater Manchester mayor said the US leader would not be welcome in the city and following the January 6 Capitol riots in 2021 he criticised politicians who had engaged with him.

Andy Burnham has insisted he will find ‘common ground’ with the US president (PA)The US leader described Mr Burnham as “a very nice guy” last week, echoing some of his positive comments about Sir Keir Starmer during the early stages of his premiership.

Relations between the White House and Sir Keir’s government later became increasingly strained over the Iran conflict and disagreements about Mr Trump’s threats to annex Greenland.

Ms Phillipson said the Government would remain pragmatic in its dealings with Washington but conceded the war in the Middle East would pose challenges at the Budget next month.

Asked about the impact of the president’s decisions on the autumn statement, she said: “Well the economy is in a strong position, we’ve seen already in the first half of this year we’re the strongest growing economy in the G7.

“We’ve stabilised the public finances and I think people can feel a sense of hope and optimism about the future that lies ahead, but that’s not to take away from the very real challenges that you identify, particularly when it comes to the conflict we’ve seen in the Middle East and the impact that’s been having on businesses and families close to home.”

She added: “We do see the consequences here at home.

“And as we go into the Budget, making sure that we are doing everything we can to give people that breathing space to tackle those challenges around the cost of living has been at the forefront of everything that Andy Burnham has done since becoming prime minister.

“And I know it’s at the forefront of the Chancellor’s mind as he’s planning for that Budget later on next month.”