US President Donald Trump has delivered a blunt assessment of Andy Burnham, describing the Labour politician as “extremely liberal” in his first public comments about the man widely expected to become Britain’s next Prime Minister.
Speaking to reporters during a meeting at the White House, President Trump said he knew little about Burnham beyond his previous role as Mayor of Greater Manchester, but suggested their political outlooks were fundamentally different.
“I don’t know anything. I see that he was, I guess, the mayor of a town. I hear he’s extremely liberal,” President Trump said.
He went on to suggest that a Burnham government would be unlikely to support further oil and gas development in the North Sea, adding that Britain was missing a major economic opportunity.
“So that means he probably won’t open up the North Sea,” he said. “The amazing thing is they buy their oil from Norway, which gets the oil from the North Sea. Think of it, and they pay a big premium. Norway’s got now $2 trillion in the bank, and the UK is dying.”
When asked whether he hoped to become the first world leader to meet Burnham should he enter Downing Street, President Trump replied: “No, but I think we’re probably of a different persuasion.”
The remarks represent an early indication that relations between a future Burnham administration and the White House could prove challenging.
President Trump has repeatedly criticised the Labour Government over energy policy, arguing that Britain has failed to exploit its own North Sea oil and gas reserves while importing energy at higher cost. He has also been openly critical of Sir Keir Starmer’s approach to immigration and other domestic policies.
The comments are also notable because Burnham has himself been publicly critical of President Trump in recent years.
Following the storming of the US Capitol in January 2021, Burnham wrote on X: “Any UK politician who gave Trump the time of day should be ashamed right now.” More recently, while campaigning this month, he described American politics as “polarised” and “poisonous”.
Those previous remarks are unlikely to have gone unnoticed in Washington.
According to a source close to the White House, Burnham remains largely unknown within President Trump’s inner circle, with one official reportedly joking that he “could not be picked out of a police lineup.”
The exchange comes against the backdrop of already strained relations between the outgoing Labour Government and the Trump administration.
President Trump has previously criticised Sir Keir over Britain’s energy policies and immigration, while tensions also emerged over the use of the UK-US military base on Diego Garcia during the recent conflict involving Iran.
For Conservatives, President Trump’s comments are likely to reinforce longstanding concerns about Labour’s approach to energy policy. The party has repeatedly accused Labour of placing ideological commitments ahead of Britain’s energy security by restricting new North Sea oil and gas developments.
Whether Burnham seeks to soften his stance on energy and repair relations with Washington if he enters Number 10 remains to be seen. However, President Trump’s opening verdict leaves little doubt that the White House views the Labour politician as being firmly on the opposite side of the political spectrum.
