Highlights
- Trump says Burnham “probably won’t open up the North Sea” for oil drilling
- Comments made during meeting with NATO secretary-general Mark Rutte
- Burnham is seen as frontrunner to replace Keir Starmer
- Trump also criticises the UK and other European allies over defence cooperation
US PRESIDENT Donald Trump has made his first public comments on Andy Burnham, the former Greater Manchester mayor who is seen as a frontrunner to become the prime minister.
Speaking to reporters in Washington, Trump described Burnham as “the mayor of a town” and said he had heard he was “extremely liberal”.
“I don’t know, I think I see that he was, I guess, the mayor of a town,” Trump said. “I hear he’s extremely liberal, extremely, so that means he probably won’t open up the North Sea.”
Trump also repeated his support for expanding oil production in the North Sea, saying Burnham would likely oppose such plans.
The remarks come as Burnham, who is now a Labour MP, has emerged as a leading figure in the contest to replace Sir Keir Starmer. He resigned earlier this week after pressure over poor polling and local election results.
Burnham has previously criticised US politics, warning during a campaign visit to Makerfield of “polarised, poisonous politics”. In 2021, during unrest at the US Capitol, he said any UK politician who supported Trump should be “ashamed”.
Trump’s comments were made during a meeting with NATO secretary general Mark Rutte in the Oval Office, where wider tensions between the US and European allies were also discussed.
Trump, a long-standing critic of NATO, has repeatedly accused allies of failing to meet defence expectations. He also expressed frustration with several European countries, including the UK, over their response to US-led military actions in the Middle East.
During the meeting, Rutte pointed to increased defence spending among NATO members and ongoing cooperation with US forces, but Trump appeared only partly convinced.
According to analysts, Trump’s latest remarks suggest a potentially difficult relationship between Washington and any future Labour-led government under Burnham, particularly on energy and defence policy.
(with inputs from Reuters)
