U.S. President Donald Trump and U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham met on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York to discuss a range of bilateral issues, with the leaders expressing a generally positive tone about the relationship between their countries. However, Trump criticized the recent agreement involving the Chagos Islands, calling the deal “terrible” and leaving its future uncertain.
During their first face-to-face meeting, Trump described the relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom as improving, stating it was “more up now than they were with your last prime minister.” The president praised Burnham as a “natural business person,” and Burnham, the former mayor of Greater Manchester, said he had “established a good connection” with Trump during their approximately 40-minute discussion. Topics covered included trade, energy, and immigration.
Despite the overall cordiality, the Chagos Islands sovereignty deal emerged as a point of contention. The agreement, valued at £3.4 billion, involves transferring sovereignty of the Indian Ocean archipelago from the UK to Mauritius, while maintaining the UK-U.S. military base on Diego Garcia under a leasing arrangement. Trump emphasized the strategic and military importance of the islands to both nations and labeled the sovereignty deal a “very important piece of real estate.” He suggested that Burnham would be reconsidering the agreement, to which Burnham responded affirmatively but without providing details.
When questioned later about the status of the Chagos deal, Burnham did not rule out the possibility of abandoning the arrangement. He described it as an inherited issue requiring resolution and stressed the importance of safeguarding the future of the military base for both British and American security interests. Burnham expressed confidence that a workable agreement could be reached in cooperation with U.S. partners.
The prime minister also referenced raising the Falkland Islands’ sovereignty with Trump, following comments from the U.S. president indicating America might not defend the islands if Argentina attacked again. Burnham said he had made Britain’s position clear to both the people of the Falklands and his domestic audience.
On economic matters, Burnham mentioned bringing up a specific concern regarding U.S. tariffs’ impact on a factory in northeast England, though he declined to identify the facility. He denied being called a “natural business person” in connection with potential North Sea drilling projects.
Views diverged on regulation of artificial intelligence during the meeting. Burnham advocated for international agreements to oversee AI technology, while Trump rejected the idea of “globalist” regulation schemes, emphasizing U.S. sovereignty on the matter.
Ahead of the encounter, Trump congratulated Burnham on his recent electoral win in the Makerfield by-election, describing it as a significant victory and expressing optimism about the new prime minister’s prospects. Burnham, in turn, sought to counter narratives of decline surrounding Britain and other European nations, telling reporters he had presented a vision for a decade-long recovery plan aimed at rebuilding the country's economic and social standing.
In Burnham’s upcoming speech to the United Nations General Assembly, he plans to convey an optimistic message about Britain’s future while acknowledging the need to address longstanding structural challenges. He aims to position the U.K. as a constructive international actor capable of facilitating cooperation on global regulatory issues, echoing the approach of former Prime Minister Gordon Brown during the 2008 financial crisis.