PRIME MINISTER Andy Burnham said he would always put Britain's interests first and would call out US President Donald Trump if he believed it was the right thing to do for the country.
Speaking to the BBC in his first major interview since taking office, Burnham was asked whether he would be willing to challenge Trump when necessary.
"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.
Burnham took office on Monday as UK's seventh prime minister in a decade. His predecessor, Keir Starmer, announced last month that he was stepping down after a relationship with Trump that was marked by differences over the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, immigration, energy and tech regulation.
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Although Trump initially described Burnham as "extremely liberal", he said this week that he had a "very good conversation" with the new prime minister.
In the interview with BBC journalist Laura Kuenssberg, Burnham also ruled out holding 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.
On national defence, Burnham said he remained "absolutely committed" to the promises Britain had made to its NATO partners.
"The first challenge facing us both is to ensure that the defence investment plan is fully funded, and that's the thing that's right in front of us, and we need to work that through as we go towards the budget later this year", he said.
Burnham's newly appointed Chancellor John Healey resigned as defence minister in the previous government after saying Britain would not be safe unless there was a commitment to spend 3 per cent of GDP on defence by 2030.
"We've got to work out the way of doing that," Burnham said when pressed on the 3 per cent of GDP commitment.
The full interview will air on the BBC's Panorama programme on Monday.
Andy Burnham sits next to chancellor John Healey (R) as he holds a National Economic Council meeting at No 10 North at Heron House on July 24, 2026 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)