US President Donald Trump has described Andy Burnham as “extremely liberal” in his first public comments about the Labour politician, who is widely expected to become Britain’s next Prime Minister.
Speaking to reporters during a meeting at the White House, President Trump admitted he knew little about Burnham but suggested the pair held very different political views.
“I don’t know anything. I see that he was, I guess, the mayor of a town. I hear he’s extremely liberal,” President Trump said.
When asked whether he would like to be the first world leader to meet Burnham should he become Prime Minister, Mr Trump replied:
“No, but I think we’re probably of a different persuasion.”
The President also suggested a future Burnham-led government would be unlikely to expand oil and gas production in the North Sea.
“So that means he probably won’t open up the North Sea,” he said.
Mr Trump went on to criticise the UK’s energy policy, arguing Britain was paying more to import oil while neighbouring Norway continued to benefit from North Sea production.
“The amazing thing is they buy their oil from Norway, which gets the oil from the North Sea,” he said. “Norway’s got now $2 trillion in the bank, and the UK is dying.”
The comments come at a time when relations between Washington and the UK have been under increasing scrutiny, with President Trump having previously criticised the Labour Government’s approach to energy and immigration.
Mr Burnham has also spoken critically of Mr Trump in the past. Following the storming of the US Capitol in January 2021, the Greater Manchester Mayor said that any UK politician who had “given Trump the time of day should be ashamed right now”.
More recently, he has described American politics as deeply polarised.
The latest remarks were made during President Trump’s meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte ahead of next month’s NATO summit.
Mr Rutte has been working to maintain strong relations between the alliance and the United States, with defence spending expected to be a major topic of discussion at the summit.
Whether President Trump’s comments will have any lasting impact on UK-US relations remains to be seen, but they provide an early indication of how a future Burnham premiership could be viewed by the current White House administration.
