Bernam: UK’s interests first in dealings with Trump

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham told the BBC, “We will always put Britain’s interests first,” in response to a question about whether he was prepared to criticize US President Donald Trump.

Tensions have marred the relationship between Burnham’s predecessor, Keir Starmer, who announced his resignation last month, and Trump, who has criticized him over disagreements regarding the US-Israeli war on Iran, immigration, energy, and regulatory frameworks for the technology sector.

Trump initially described Burnham as “too liberal,” but said this week that he had had a “very good conversation” with him. Burnham became Britain’s seventh prime minister in ten years on Monday.

In his first major interview since taking office, excerpts of which were published today on Sunday, BBC journalist Laura Quinnsberg asked Burnham whether he was prepared to criticize Trump if he believed it was the right thing to do.

He replied, “All leaders must do that. National interests must be defended above all else. That is what must be done to perform this role properly.”

He added, “I will rule that out. Yes, there will be no early general election. I don’t think people want that.” Regarding national defense, he affirmed that he was “fully committed” to the pledges made to NATO partners. London has pledged to spend 3.5 percent of GDP on defense by 2035, in line with a new NATO target. Burnham said, “We must find a way to achieve that.” John Helly, whom Burnham recently appointed as Chancellor of the Exchequer, had resigned from his position as Defense Secretary in the previous government after stating that unless Britain committed to spending three percent of GDP on defense by 2030, the country would not be secure. Burnham did not mention the 2030 target in the interview.