Donald Trump called British Prime Minister Andy Burnham a "natural businessperson" who "gets it" as the two leaders met face to face for the first time on Tuesday in New York. At the same encounter, held on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, the US president made clear his opposition to the UK's "terrible" deal to hand the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, the BBC reported.
What did Trump say about Burnham? Asked whether Burnham was a man he could do business with, Trump replied: "Yeah I do, I think he's a natural businessperson, we've had a lot of discussions even before this meeting". He said UK-US relations are "more up now" that Burnham is in power, and described the UK as a country with "great patriotism" that is "waiting for good leadership, waiting for success".
What did the leaders discuss? The talks covered trade, immigration and the Falkland Islands. Burnham said he had "established a good connection" with Trump and they had "taken that further today", and he told Sky News the meeting had been "excellent". On the Falklands, he said Britain would "defend the right of the Falkland Islanders to self-determination and to remain British", and that the president "very much understood what I was saying". Earlier this month, Trump hinted he would not come to the UK's aid in a potential future conflict with Argentina over the territory, the BBC reported.
Where does the Chagos deal stand? The agreement would see the UK cede sovereignty to Mauritius and pay an average of £101m ($136m) a year to lease back the joint UK-US military base on Diego Garcia, but it was paused indefinitely in April after Trump pulled his support. He called the base "strategically very important", particularly in relation to US operations in Iran, and said: "I think the prime minister is going to be looking at [the deal]." Asked whether the deal was "dead", Burnham said the UK would "work hard" to find a resolution and was "confident we can find it working with our US partners".
How did Burnham approach the meeting? A former mayor of Greater Manchester with limited experience of foreign affairs, Burnham has set out a different approach from his predecessor, Keir Starmer, who went out of his way to win over the US leader, the Japan Times reported. On his flight to the US, Burnham told reporters he would "meet him where he is at, and search for that common ground".
Figures referenced: Donald Trump. — JudgeMarket.
