Trump backs stronger UK ties with Burnham yet criticizes Chagos deal at UN meeting

The British prime minister’s relationship with the U.S. president begins on a positive note, yet multiple areas of friction remain.MANCHESTER, England (CN) — British Prime Minister Andy Burnham met with President Donald Trump for the first time Tuesday at the U.N. General Assembly, where Trump said U.S.-U.K. relations are stronger under Burnham than they were under his predecessor, Keir Starmer.Asked whether relations between Washington and London had been “up and down,” Trump said “Well, they’re more up now than they were with your last prime minister, let me put it that way.”“Right now, based on my relationship with the prime minister, Andy, I think that we’re doing very well,” he added.Trump also described Burnham as a “natural businessperson,” saying the two men had spoken several times by phone before their first in-person meeting.Burnham said the two had “established a good connection in our early discussions” and had taken that relationship further during Tuesday’s meeting.“This relationship matters so much to us and we’ll build on that,” Burnham said.The meeting came two months after Burnham replaced Starmer as prime minister.The governments have sought to emphasize areas of cooperation.On Tuesday, Britain announced a new U.S.-U.K. partnership on artificial intelligence focused on protecting critical infrastructure and developing defense technology.The announcement came alongside a statement that the two countries had successfully fired a U.S.-developed torpedo from a British uncrewed underwater vessel.Areas of friction remainThe friendlier tone did not erase disagreements between the two governments.Trump renewed his opposition to Britain’s plan to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.“I don’t support it. I think it’s terrible,” Trump said, calling the arrangement “ridiculous” and stressing the strategic importance of the island.Britain agreed last year to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius while retaining a 99-year lease on Diego Garcia, a strategically important U.S.-U.K. military base in the Indian Ocean. But the legislation has been held up amid U.S. opposition, with Burnham saying Monday that he remained committed to finding a resolution.Burnham also defended Britain’s decision to impose sanctions targeting trade with Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.Asked what he thought, Trump deferred to Burnham.“We did call you just to say why we had taken that [decision],” Burnham replied. He argued that continued settlement construction could undermine the possibility of a two-state solution.“If there’s a situation where there’s a tender to put settlements on the West Bank, that in effect makes a two-state solution non-viable, what do we do?” Burnham said.“If we do nothing, it further erodes people’s trust in politics. They’ll think you’re all talk, and when it comes to it, you’re not prepared to follow-up on that talk,” he added.Burnham also stressed that he “completely” condemned the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks, prompting Trump to respond: “That is true. Very strong condemnation.”The two leaders also discussed Ukraine, trade, immigration and the Falkland Islands — disputed territory that Argentina claims as its own.Burnham said he welcomed Trump’s earlier comments that progress toward peace in Ukraine could be possible and told the president that Britain was “ready to play our part” in the Middle East.The meeting followed Burnham’s appearance earlier in the day at a business roundtable in New York, where he met business leaders including Apple chairman Tim Cook.Burnham told business executives he wanted a “single set of global principles and standards” governing artificial intelligence, a subject expected to feature in the prime minister’s address to the General Assembly later today in his first major speech to the U.N. since becoming prime minister.Trump, in his own U.N. speech earlier Tuesday, rejected calls for global supervision of artificial intelligence and criticized what he described as efforts to impose global control over the technology.Burnham is also expected to argue that Britain can move beyond the turbulence of the decade since the 2016 vote to leave the EU and present a more positive vision of the country’s future.Before leaving for New York, Burnham told reporters he wanted to reject claims that Britain was declining, affirming “we’re the fastest growing in the G7, there’s lots to be proud of, there’s a lot right with the country and I’m going to give a really upbeat message when I speak.”Courthouse News reporter James Francis Whitehead is based in England.Subscribe to our free newslettersOur weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.Additional Reads