New UK prime minister says he will put Britain first in Trump ties

New UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he may disagree with US President Donald Trump when he thinks Britain’s interests require it.

In excerpts released on Sunday from a BBC interview conducted on Friday, Burnham said his first call with Trump, held hours after he replaced Keir Starmer in Downing Street on Monday, was warm. He said the relationship with Trump would continue to develop, but added that he could not promise he would always share the US president’s view.

Burnham said he would voice a different idea if he believed it was right for Britain. He twice declined to answer directly when asked whether he trusts Trump, but said he would be willing to call out the US president if needed.

Burnham, 56, is a veteran figure in the centre-left Labour Party and was mayor of Greater Manchester in northern England for nine years from 2017.

After their Monday phone call, Trump wrote on Truth Social that Burnham had a big job ahead of him but would be able to do it, and said the United States would be there to help. The report said Trump had described Burnham last month as “extremely liberal”. It also said Trump’s relationship with Starmer had at times been difficult, especially over the Iran conflict.