Andy Burnham says he’s not afraid to disagree with Donald Trump

Andy Burnham, whose coronation as Labour leader is all but guaranteed, has said that he will not be afraid to stand up to U.S. President Donald Trump.

Burnham, who is set to become Labour leader, after 349 of the party’s MPs nominated him to replace Sir Keir Starmer is now on track to become prime minister on 20 July, with it now mathematically impossible for a rival to run against him.

He has been busy setting out his vision for the country, including pledging to tackle inequality and bringing water and energy under public control to help families struggling with the cost of living.

While much of Burnham’s focus has been on domestic affairs, he has also faced questions about foreign affairs which could end up defining his premiership.

Trump has proved even more volatile in his second term of office,  imposing trade tariffs on allies, including the UK, as well as trying to drag the country into a war with Iran which failed meet its objectives.

Starmer had a number of spats with Trump, including over his refusal to commit British troops to the conflict in Iran.

Now Burnham has also said that he will not be afraid of disagreeing with the President saying that he would “meet him where he’s at” while “respecting the office”.

In an interview with Gary Lineker for Goalhanger, Burnham said: “Maybe in a similar way to the way I’ve just described, I’ll just meet him where he’s at. And, you know, I like to think I’ve got some personality myself and I’ll just, you know, I’ll deal with him very upfront in the same way. I think he likes people to deal with him.

“He described Manchester as some town when he was referring to my position. And I might have to, you know what Mancs are like, Gary, that won’t have gone down fantastically well in the city I used to represent.

“But yeah, it’s about being yourself, isn’t it? It’s about respecting the office, the relationship, the UK-US relationship. But, you know, where you disagree, do it, but do it in a way that is kind of meeting him where he’s at.”