Stay up to date with notifications from The IndependentNotifications can be managed in browser preferences.Jump to contentThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged inAllNewsSportCultureLifestyleThe US president described prospective UK prime minister Andy Burnham as "extremely liberal" and dismissed him as "the mayor of a town" in his initial public comments. He predicted Mr Burnham would not open up the North Sea for oil exploration, reiterating past criticism of Sir Keir Starmer's energy policies which he claimed had severely impacted the UK. The US President expressed renewed dissatisfaction with the UK's handling of the Iran conflict and stated his belief that Sir Keir Starmer had "now gone." During a meeting with Nato chief Mark Rutte, the US president criticised several European allies, including the UK, for their lack of support in the Iran conflict and insufficient contributions to defence. Mr Rutte attempted to ease tensions by showcasing increased spending by Nato members and emphasising Europe's crucial role as a platform for US military operations. In fullTrump calls Andy Burnham ‘extremely liberal’ in first remarks on PM hopefulThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in

Stay up to date with notifications from The IndependentNotifications can be managed in browser preferences.Jump to contentThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or…

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Former Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham seems poised to succeed Keir Starmer after the UK prime minister announced his resignation on Monday, and is widely considered the…

We’re in Manchester - home of Andy Burnham - the man who seems on course to become the UK's next prime minister as soon as next month.

Stay up to date with notifications from The IndependentNotifications can be managed in browser preferences.AllNewsSportCultureLifestyleTrump and Starmer have had a rocky…

By Matthew Flinders, University of Sheffield (*)<br /> <br /> Resigning as UK prime minister and leader of the Labour party, Keir Starmer said he accepted, “with good grace”, that…

Inside Politics: Andy Burnham emerges as frontrunner to succeed Keir Starmer in Downing Street

Burnham was a popular mayor of Greater Manchester, overseeing a period of rapid regeneration for the city in northern England.

Andy Burnham, Britain's likely next leader, hasn't said a lot about President Trump, but his few statements have been critical.

If Burnham’s planned leadership bid remains unchallenged, he could replace Starmer in a matter of weeks and it will likely fall on him to heal the rift between Washington and…

The popular Labour Party politician could butt heads with the U.S. president

Trump was asked about the potential successor to Keir Starmer during a Q&A session in the Oval Office - and it could give a hint at what's to come in the Special Relationship

When asked about Mr Burnham, who is the clear favourite to succeed Keir Starmer as the Labour premier, Mr Trump said: 'I don't know, I think I see that he was, I guess, the mayor…

The US president further dismissed Mr Burnham, describing him as ‘the mayor of a town’

US president’s remarks about Andy Burnham set the stage for a potentially rocky start between the two men.

The US President has said he doesn’t know much about Andy Burnham other than that he was the mayor of a ‘town’ in England.

The US president told reporters the former Manchester mayor ‘probably won’t open up the North Sea’ for oil exploration

In comments late on Wednesday, the U.S. leader again repeated his belief that the outgoing Keir Starmer should have opened up the North Sea to more drilling for oil, but refrained…

Stay up to date with notifications from The IndependentNotifications can be managed in browser preferences.Jump to contentThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or…

''Extremely liberal'', so much so that ''he probably won't open the North Sea'' to oil exploration. These are the first words American President Donald Trump chose to describe…