The Prime Minister said he could ‘trust’ the US president and the special relationship was as strong as ever.
Andy Burnham is to meet Donald Trump for the first time as world leaders gather in New York for talks on the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East and the rapid development of AI.
The Prime Minister and the US president will hold talks on Tuesday in the margins of the United Nations General Assembly meeting as the Ministry of Defence stepped up co-operation with American counterparts on the next generation of drones and autonomous systems.
Officials hope the talks will build on productive phone calls between the two leaders, but Mr Burnham’s previous criticism of the president and Mr Trump’s unpredictability, his recent comments about Irish unification and hostility to UK immigration and clean energy policies make it a diplomatically awkward challenge for the Prime Minister.
Mr Burnham said he could “trust” the US president and the special relationship was as strong as ever.
Speaking to reporters accompanying him on the UN trip he said: “When you come into this job, you realise how deep this relationship is.
He added: “We trust our allies. Of course, we do.”
Asked if he trusted Mr Trump personally the Prime Minister replied: “Yes.”
Mr Burnham has been critical of the US president in the past, including saying – as rioters stormed the US Capitol in 2021 – that “any UK politician who gave Trump the time of day should be ashamed right now”.
Before their first conversation, Mr Trump had suggested he knew little about Mr Burnham beyond that he was “very liberal” and the mayor of a “town”.
Mr Burnham told journalists: “As I have said, politicians say things throughout their career, but now the important thing is to focus on the moment you are in, and I did say to the president in our first phone call, I said, ‘Mr President, Manchester isn’t some town’, I said, ‘This is Manchester’.
“And so yes, the right thing to do is to have a laugh about it, isn’t it, and move beyond it.”
Mr Burnham, who has authorised a British military operation for the first time by deploying defensive air-to-air refuelling for Saudi Arabian planes responding to Houthi missile attacks, said he and Mr Trump would be discussing the Middle East crisis triggered by US strikes in Iran.
He said: “The message is that we want to see an end to the conflict as quickly as possible and we stand ready to play our part.”
The Prime Minister will use his UN trip to announce the launch of work between the UK and the US on a new artificial intelligence and autonomy partnership, aimed at helping protect critical national infrastructure.
In a sign of the co-operation between the two countries, a US heavyweight torpedo has been fired from a UK-made undersea drone – the first time such a weapon has been fired from an unmanned vehicle by either country.
Mr Burnham, who is being accompanied on his transatlantic trip by wife Marie-France van Heel, will use his first UN General Assembly speech to focus on AI’s risks and opportunities.
He will make the case for international co-operation to “harness the technology for good”, saying it has the potential to drive down the cost of living.
He is seeking to position the UK as a leader in bringing countries together, comparing his role to that played by Gordon Brown after the 2008 financial crisis.
Mr Burnham said: “When the global financial crisis hit, the UK brought together the world’s leading economies.
“As we confront the opportunities and challenges posed by artificial intelligence, we will show that same leadership, ensuring rapidly changing technology is harnessed for good to make our countries safer and stronger.
“That ambition is underlined in our new defence partnership with the United States on AI and autonomy, bringing together the brightest minds to strengthen the protection of critical infrastructure, deter those who threaten our security, and use the enormous potential of AI to our advantage.”
He said the UN speech would be a “big moment for me” and he was “really excited about it, because I’m going to be talking about British leadership in a new era, pointing to the 10 years we’ve lived through with Brexit and turbulence, and say we’re moving beyond that”.
Mr Burnham said the UK had a “unique opportunity” to be an “honest broker” on AI development, which is dominated by the US and China.
He said recent warnings from experts about the risks AI could pose to humanity “made me pause” but “I had already decided, though, to make a step change on AI when I came into the role”.
“I will be focusing on AI as a force for good, because it can be and it’s really important to keep that,” he said.
He added that “we do need to recognise that people are worried about some of the recent statements that have been made and we have to be clear-eyed about the risks that may be there, but at the same time approach it, not in that mindset, but looking at where the potential benefits are”.
There was a “sweet spot” and the UK could “find a role in finding that potential balance” between stifling AI through regulation and allowing new models to be released without safety measures.
“I would want to assure President Trump that we will take that approach,” Mr Burnham said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is attending the UN gathering and will hold his own talks with Mr Trump and will meet other leaders including Mr Burnham.
But amid warnings across Europe about President Vladimir Putin’s threat, the Prime Minister said he would not be drawn into ratcheting up tensions with Russia.
“What we don’t though do is get involved in the escalation, which some might say suits Russia, so we don’t do that. I think that’s the right position to take,” he said.
“We remain highly vigilant and we keep these matters under close watch. But our approach is to be undaunted, unflinching in our 100% support for President Zelensky and Ukraine.”
Mr Burnham will lead talks on the Israel-Palestine situation and the wider Middle East crisis while in New York.
The UK, France and Canada announced sanctions earlier this month in response to Israeli settlements in the West Bank and Mr Burnham will be joined by President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Mark Carney at an event to discuss the region.
The high-level meeting on a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine will be jointly hosted by the three western leaders, Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres.
