Key facts
- Donald Trump met with UK Foreign Secretary Andy Burnham and Ed Miliband in New York.
- Trump stated his relationship with the UK is better with Burnham than with Keir Starmer.
- Trump called Burnham a "natural businessperson" and a potential "great" prime minister.
- Burnham planned to advocate for global principles and standards for AI regulation.
- Trump criticized AI regulation efforts, calling warnings a "hoax".
- Trump disapproved of the UK's deal regarding the Chagos Islands and Mauritius.
US President Donald Trump met with UK Foreign Secretary Andy Burnham in New York, asserting that his relationship with the UK is stronger with Burnham than with Keir Starmer, despite ongoing tensions on several key issues. At their first face-to-face meeting, Trump praised Burnham as a "natural businessperson" with "lots of assets on his side" and suggested he would be a "great" prime minister.
Burnham, accompanied by Ed Miliband, the foreign secretary, and Jonathan Powell, his national security adviser, aimed to leverage their established connection to mend relations strained by disagreements over Iran. Burnham intended to urge Trump to de-escalate the conflict in the Middle East, a situation that has contributed to global energy price hikes and pressure on the UK economy. Trump, however, reiterated his aggressive stance on Iran, threatening to "annihilate" the country if it did not agree to a peace deal.
Further divergence emerged over the regulation of artificial intelligence. Burnham planned to advocate for a "single set of global principles and standards" to govern AI, positioning the UK as an "honest broker" during its upcoming G20 presidency. Conversely, Trump dismissed warnings about AI's existential threat as a "hoax" and vowed to encourage its unfettered growth, rejecting any "globalist scheme to control" the technology.
Trump also expressed strong disapproval of the UK's recent deal to cede sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, calling it a "terrible deal." He suggested that the UK prime minister might reconsider the arrangement.