When it comes to the new Prime Minister’s dealing with his American counterpart Carly Simon’s “Coming Around Again” is the soundtrack, even if Andy Burnham’s dominant key is all about new beginnings. In his first big interview with the BBC, Burnham said that he is prepared to call out Donald Trump and that he would “always put British interests first”.
It is only four months since his predecessor also said: “I will always put the national interest first.” Students of Burnham-speak will note that the new incumbent did elaborate to the BBC that he would be prepared to “voice a different idea that is right for Britain” in dealings with DC – a subtly defiant change. The real question is what that idea would mean. The strains of dealing with an erratic US leader on fronts which affect British economic and security interests are getting wider and more frequent.
One US diplomat who is no Trumpian acolyte nonetheless jokes about Britain’s “Trump angst”. He means that we are constantly talking about how prepared it is to stand up to the American in a way that a psychotherapist would find interesting. But pretty much everything about the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz raises questions for the early Burnham project.
