Prime Minister Andy Burnham said on Tuesday that he and US President Donald Trump had “established a good connection in our early discussions” despite having differences over certain foreign policy issues, as the two leaders met for the first time in New York.
Following their meeting, Trump described Burnham as a “natural business person” after they discussed a range of issues, including Ukraine, the status of the Falkland Islands and trade.
“This relationship matters so much to us and we’ll build on that,” Burnham said.
One of the major foreign policy challenges facing Burnham will be managing Britain’s relationship with the United States. However, he and his officials are likely to be satisfied that their first public meeting went smoothly.
The relationship between the two countries has long been regarded as one of the world’s closest alliances, but it has come under strain because of Trump’s foreign policy agenda, including the US-Israeli decision to launch attacks on Iran this year.
Following the meeting, Trump again criticised Britain’s plans to resolve the future of a joint US-British military base on the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia, describing the proposed arrangement as a “terrible deal”.
Burnham has promised to work towards finding a solution.