Andy Burnham and Donald Trump are not natural bedfellows. One is a soft left, working class Mancunian known for his love of football and public transport. The other is a brash former reality TV star and a real estate billionaire with authoritarian tendencies.
But in a matter of weeks or months, Burnham will likely be responsible for handling the UK’s most important strategic relationship: its partnership with the US. And Trump may not make it easy for him.
Should Burnham prove victorious in the upcoming Labour leadership contest – as is widely predicted – navigating the volatile US President may be his first and trickiest international challenge.
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The Starmer-Trump relationship soured in recent months, with the US President firing off a series of insults over Sir Keir Starmer’s refusal to be drawn into his war with Iran. There are hopes that a change of prime minister could reset the so-called Special Relationship, but Burnham has made it clear that he does not intend to kowtow to Trump, warning as recently as last week against the “poisonous” politics seen in the US.
