Former U.S. President Donald Trump has publicly described Andy Burnham, a prominent figure in the UK Labour Party and a leading contender to be the next Prime Minister, as "extremely liberal." Trump suggested that Burnham would likely oppose further oil and gas drilling in the North Sea and referred to him as "the mayor of a town."
Burnham's team has not commented on Trump's remarks. Burnham is currently the only declared candidate in the race to replace Sir Keir Starmer as Labour leader and potentially become prime minister. Trump's comments highlight a potential challenge Burnham might face in managing relations with the U.S. president should he assume leadership.
During his tenure as Mayor of Greater Manchester, Burnham largely avoided commenting on foreign policy matters. His prior career as a Labour minister and shadow minister focused primarily on domestic policy areas. Some of his supporters advocate for him to maintain this focus, even amid global challenges, to avoid the extensive international engagement that has characterized Sir Keir Starmer's leadership.
The UK is scheduled to host significant international gatherings, including the G20 summit next year and the G7 summit the year after, both of which would involve Trump. Burnham has previously expressed criticism of Trump. In 2017, he stated he would refuse to meet Trump as a "matter of principle" if the president visited Manchester, citing the sharing of "hateful extremist material" online and calling for the withdrawal of a state visit invitation.
Following the January 2021 U.S. Capitol riots, Burnham posted on X (formerly Twitter) that "Any UK politician who gave Trump the time of day should be ashamed right now." In 2016, he humorously blamed Trump for making the Ryder Cup golf tournament "almost unwatchable" due to American crowd behavior. During his campaign for Makerfield MP, Burnham characterized U.S. politics as "polarized" and "poisonous."
Despite past condemnations of Trump, some Labour figures have maintained working relationships with members of his administration. Notably, David Lammy, currently serving as Foreign Secretary, developed a rapport with U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance.