A minister has stated that Prime Minister Andy Burnham's past criticisms of US President Donald Trump will not hinder their relationship, calling such remarks a matter of politics. Bridget Phillipson, Labour chairwoman and equalities minister, told Sky News that despite Burnham’s previous negative comments about Trump, there is no barrier to building a strong working relationship given the importance of US cooperation on issues like intelligence sharing and defense. The two leaders are expected to meet at the UN general assembly next week in New York.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-20,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Wes Streeting, Britain’s defence secretary, announced that annual payments worth at least £120 million to Mauritius are on hold as the government reconsiders an agreement over the Chagos Islands. This decision came after Donald Trump criticized the deal during a meeting with Prime Minister Andy Burnham at the UN General Assembly in New York. The original agreement would see the UK cede sovereignty of the territory to Mauritius and pay approximately £101 million annually to lease back a joint UK-US military base on Diego Garcia, which is strategically important due to its location in the Indian Ocean.
Streeting emphasized that the deal cannot proceed without US support, highlighting the need for cooperation with American allies to ensure the agreement safeguards the long-term future of the base at Diego Garcia. The defence secretary noted that previous efforts to adapt the deal have not succeeded, and current negotiations are focused on reaching an arrangement that both Mauritius and the US can accept.
Written for “Chagos Islands Deal” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 38 other(s) covering the same event.
Andy Burnham’s past criticism of Donald Trump was “politics” and “no bar to having a strong relationship”, a minister has said as the Prime Minister prepares for his first meeting with the US president.
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Minister → have → president
The two leaders are expected to come face to face at the UN general assembly next week in New York, having spoken to each other at least twice on the phone since Mr Burnham entered Downing Street in July.
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Burnham → expect → July
Speaking to broadcasters on Sunday, Labour chairwoman Bridget Phillipson was asked whether the encounter could prove awkward in light of past remarks, including his 2021 assertion that “any politician who gave Trump the time of day should be ashamed right now.”
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who → speak → day
“Look, I think what you’ve just described there is politics, and the president knows that,” Ms Phillipson, who is also equalities minister, told Sky News’s Sunday Morning programme.
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who → look → programme
“This is… far from unique, and people will express views at different points on different topics, and that’s no bar to having a strong relationship.
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that → express → relationship
“And the reason that matters is because the US is someone that is essential to our ability to share intelligence, to work together on defence, whether that’s Ukraine and much, much more besides.
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that → matter → defence
“That will be at the forefront of Andy Burnham’s mind when he meets President Trump face to face.”
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he → meet → face
The Prime Minister has previously defended his past remarks about Mr Trump and insisted he would find “common ground” and “find a connection” with the president.
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he → defend → president
In 2017, the former Greater Manchester mayor said the US leader would not be welcome in the city and following the January 6 Capitol riots in 2021 he criticised politicians who had engaged with him.
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who → say → him
Andy Burnham has insisted he will find ‘common ground’ with the US president (PA)The US leader described Mr Burnham as “a very nice guy” last week, echoing some of his positive comments about Sir Keir Starmer during the early stages of his premiership.
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leader → insist → premiership
Relations between the White House and Sir Keir’s government later became increasingly strained over the Iran conflict and disagreements about Mr Trump’s threats to annex Greenland.
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Relations → become → Greenland
Ms Phillipson said the Government would remain pragmatic in its dealings with Washington but conceded the war in the Middle East would pose challenges at the Budget next month.
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war → say → Budget
Asked about the impact of the president’s decisions on the autumn statement, she said: “Well the economy is in a strong position, we’ve seen already in the first half of this year we’re the strongest growing economy in the G7.
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we → ask → G7
“We’ve stabilised the public finances and I think people can feel a sense of hope and optimism about the future that lies ahead, but that’s not to take away from the very real challenges that you identify, particularly when it comes to the conflict we’ve seen in the Middle East and the impact that’s been having on businesses and families close to home.”
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that → stabilise → home
She added: “We do see the consequences here at home.
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We → add → home
“And as we go into the Budget, making sure that we are doing everything we can to give people that breathing space to tackle those challenges around the cost of living has been at the forefront of everything that Andy Burnham has done since becoming prime minister.
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Burnham → go → that
“And I know it’s at the forefront of the Chancellor’s mind as he’s planning for that Budget later on next month.”
Liberal Democrats leader Sir Ed Davey, an outspoken critic of the US president, urged the Prime Minister to take a firmer line in his dealings with the White House.
“There is a danger that the new prime minister could be Keir Starmer, but with just better social media, that’s not going to help anybody, is it?
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it → know → anybody
We need to see some teeth in his relationship with the White House,” he told the Press Association.
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he → need → Association
“I want him to stand up to Trump.
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him → want → Trump
It’s really clear that’s the only language the president respects.”
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president → ’ → ?
He said he wanted the Prime Minister to deliver “tough messages” to the US leader, adding: “I think the UK should do what the Europeans are doing, what the Canadians are doing, and start saying to Donald Trump, ‘the way you’re treating our country, the way you’re treating the world, is not acceptable’.”
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you → say → world
The Aporia
