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Andy Burnham, who became Britain's Prime Minister this week, has said he will always put "Britain's interest first" in his dealings with US President Donald Trump, adding that he is willing to voice a different opinion if needed. In his first major broadcast interview since taking office, Mr. Burnham was asked whether he would call out the US leader when he thought it was the right thing to do. "All leaders have to do that. You have to defend your own national interest before anything else. That's what you're required to do if you're to do this job properly," he said. "I will always put Britain's interest first."

The comments came as the new defence secretary, Wes Streeting, argued that the Trump administration values straightforwardness rather than flattery. "The first thing you do is, you don't suck up. My impression is, President Trump, his administration – that's not what they're looking for," Mr. Streeting said in a separate interview. He said he had been plain with his US counterpart, Pete Hegseth, about continued differences over Iran.

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The Guardian, which reported on Mr. Burnham's comments, emphasized his commitment to disagreeing with Mr. Trump when necessary, even in public. The newspaper noted that Mr. Burnham, who is relatively new to foreign policy, stuck to the policy of his predecessor, Keir Starmer, of not backing US offensive operations in Iran—a stance that previously drew fierce public attacks from Mr. Trump.

The South China Morning Post focused on Mr. Burnham's relationship with the US president, noting that the two had a "warm" conversation and that Mr. Trump had initially described Mr. Burnham as "extremely liberal." The paper also reported that Mr. Burnham ruled out an early general election.

TASS, the Russian state news agency, quoted Mr. Trump as saying he expects to meet with Mr. Burnham soon and that their phone call covered oil production, trade, and military cooperation. TASS also noted that Mr. Burnham took office after receiving a mandate from King Charles III.

The Hindu highlighted Mr. Burnham's willingness to "take a different opinion" from Mr. Trump and noted that he twice declined to directly answer whether he trusts the US president.

Key Claims

  • Britain's interests first: Mr. Burnham said he will always put Britain's interests first, even if that means disagreeing with Mr. Trump. He stated, "I can't at any point say that I won't take a different opinion from him, that I will need to voice a different idea that is right for Britain. And I will do that."
  • Warm first call: Mr. Burnham's first phone call with Mr. Trump, held shortly after he entered Downing Street, was described as "warm." Mr. Trump said on Truth Social that the call was a "very good conversation" and that Mr. Burnham "has got a big job ahead of him, but he will be able to do it."
  • Trump's earlier remarks: Last month, Mr. Trump had described Mr. Burnham as "extremely liberal," a comment that has been noted in several reports.
  • No early general election: Mr. Burnham ruled out calling a general election before 2029. "I'm going to rule it out. Yeah, there's no early general election. I don't think people want it," he said.
  • Iran policy differences: Mr. Burnham has maintained the policy of not backing US offensive operations in Iran. Mr. Streeting said, "I was clear that we have not supported offensive action in Iran and we won't support offensive action in Iran. But there are plenty of things that we can and should do together."
  • Trump expects to meet Burnham soon: According to TASS, Mr. Trump said he expects to meet with Mr. Burnham soon for "topics of mutual interest." The two reportedly discussed oil production, trade, military cooperation, and the situation in the Strait of Hormuz.