Trump says he has a better UK relationship with Burnham as PM – politics live

was being polite and respectful for most of the very short press conference he held with Andy Burnham, but towards the end he could not resist a jibe about Keir Starmer.

No I think they're up.

Well they're more up now than they were with your last prime minister, let me put it that way.

I think right now, based on my relationship with the prime minister, Andy, I think that, I think we're doing very well.

At one point the relationship between Trump and Starmer was good. But it got worse as Starmer started to criticise Trump publicly on issues like his proposal to annex Greenland, and his claim British troops avoided frontline action in Afghanistan. And the full rupture came when Keir Starmer refused to allow the US to use British airbases for attacks against Iran at the start of the war.

In response to a question about whether he was happier in Manchester of Manhatten at the short, 12-minute press conference, talked about the great city of Manchester and referred to Donald Trump once calling it a "town". Burnham went on, jokingly: "We don't, I don't hold it against you, as the former mayor."

Burnham said he loved the US too.

And he launched into a riff about patriotism.

I was explaining to the president today, Britain has been in too much turbulence, a sense of us not know where were are going. And I think you responded when I said we're going to lay out a plan for Britain, 10-year direction.

The country's got so much going for it. And it's time to turn the story about Britain to a positive story, get some hopefulness going around the country.

And I think you were saying today that very much is how you see it.

said he agreed. He said there was a tremendous patriotism about Britain. And he joked about it having "got more names than any other place in the world", because some people called it Britain, and some the United Kingdom, and some England.

He said it was just "waiting for good leadership, waiting for success".

Burnham shakes hands with Trump

At the press conference the Guardian's asked if he expected UK to help him if he chose to annihilate Iran. And she asked if he had any sympathy for the allies are suffering because of rising petrol prices due to the war.

Trump did not really engage with any of her points.

Instead, he gave quite a rambling answer, saying:

I think as soon as the war is over, the numbers are going to come way down, pricing generally.

Oil is the big thing when the oil goes up.

And we had to do that because we have to stop them. And I think we feel very united on that. We can't let Iran have a nuclear weapon.

And people understand that in the United States, and they're paying less than Biden, by the way, less than the Biden administration. And yet he did nothing about the threat of nuclear terror.

It's nuclear terror. We can't have it. So we've stopped them from having a nuclear weapon. We've literally stopped them. They're not going to have a nuclear weapon. And we'll see what happens.

I think that a settlement is going to be reached. They want to talk to us. They have been talking to us, even today. The relationship is developing, let's say.

But we can't let them … have a nuclear weapon. And there's a price to pay for that.

This should have been done by other presidents. Or, frankly, other countries. Some country could have stepped forward. But there aren't too many countries, frankly, that could have handled that.

So I think we've done a great job. They will not have a nuclear weapon.

Yesterday spoke to the prime minister of Mauritius, , This is what said in the readout of the call about what was said about the Chagos Islands deal.

Turning to the future of the military base on Diego Garcia, the prime minister underlined his commitment to working with Mauritius and the United States on a way forward that secures the operation of the base and protects UK national security.

And this is what , who has been urging Donald Trump to block the Chagos Islands deal for about a year, posted on social media tonight after Trump's comments. (See 6.20pm.)

The Chagos deal is dead. Thank God.

described the Chagos Islands deal – a proposal by Keir Starmer's goverment to give Mauritius sovereignty over the Chagos Islands, on condition that the US and the UK can continue to operate the Diego Garcia military base there for at least another 99 years – as "terrible".

In the short press conference with Burnham, Trump said:

I don't support it. I think it's a terrible deal.

They all of a sudden say they have ownership, somebody has ownership that never showed up before after decades and centuries. I think it's ridiculous. No, we were talking about that.

It's strategically very important, very important. You know, we had to send our B-2 bombers when we bombed the Iran nuclear, we sent the B-2 bombers back home to Missouri. As opposed to flying for a short period of time, they had to fly for a long period of time.

It's amazing how strategic it is, and I think the prime minister is going to be looking at it. It's very strategic location. And it's unique

It's a very important piece of real estate, militarily and strategically.

responded with a simple: "Mmm, yup."

was being polite and respectful for most of the very short press conference he held with Andy Burnham, but towards the end he could not resist a jibe about Keir Starmer.

No I think they're up.

Well they're more up now than they were with your last prime minister, let me put it that way.

I think right now, based on my relationship with the prime minister, Andy, I think that, I think we're doing very well.

At one point the relationship between Trump and Starmer was good. But it got worse as Starmer started to criticise Trump publicly on issues like his proposal to annex Greenland, and his claim British troops avoided frontline action in Afghanistan. And the full rupture came when Keir Starmer refused to allow the US to use British airbases for attacks against Iran at the start of the war.

At the start of the meeting with the press, this is what said about Andy Burnham.

I think he's going to be a great prime minister. I think he's got a lot of assets on his side.

We talked about everything from Rolls-Royce to energy, immigration. We covered a lot.

[The UK] is a really special country. And we are with you all the way, Mr Prime Minister.

Thank you Mr President.

That's wonderful. We really appreciate that.

This relationship matters so much to us. And we will build on that relationship.

You and I have established a good connection in our early discussions, and we've taken that further today.

We touched on Ukraine and it's great to hear what you said today about the potential for progress there.

You know that we're still ready to play our part in the Middle East in terms of helping you stop the conflict, open the strait [of Hormuz].

Obviously, we're with you that Iran must never be a nuclear power.

We accepted a call from Saudi Arabia … we are prepared to play our part.

And obviously you were good enough today to let us talk about some issues on trade. The Falklands we mentioned. And you were good enough to listen to us on those issues.

So it has been great to be with you and the team today.

Andy Burnam with Donald Trump, and their advisers, at the UN.

picks up on the topic of immigration. He says:

It was a very big issue at the Makerfield byelection and a lot of the British media will know that.

And I spoke about it then – our commitment is to get to a controlled approach. That's what people want to see.

They're not against migration overall. They know that people work in the NHS and in the care system. [There's a] difference, though, when it's managed or when it's uncontrolled.

And the small boats is a very big issue for people. But crossings this summer were down 50% there or thereabouts on the number six years ago.

So sometimes people don't hear that the progress is being made. But the progress is being made.

also went on a bit about immigration. He says he managed to stop border crossings into the US.

is talking.

He is referring to a "great election win". It is not clear if he mean's Labour's in 2024, or Andy Burnham's – in Makerfield.

thanks Trump for his remarks.

He says he thinks they have established a "good connection".

The BBC's asks Trump if Burnham is someone he can do business with.

says he thinks he is.

He describes Burnham as a "natural businessperson".

We've had a lot of discussions even before this meeting. We've spoken to each other numerous times on the phone. I think so, I think so. He gets it. He understands what he has to do.

(There are not many people who describe Burnham as a natural businessperson. He is a natural communciator, and a natural communicator and leader, but his experience of the business world is pretty limited. Maybe this was just Trump's way of saying he liked him. Or maybe by "businessperson" he means 'person you can do a deal with'. Still, it was positive.)

At the UN the reporters covering the Trump/Burnham meeting are going in now.

Donald Trump arriving a bit earlier for his meeting with Andy Burnham.

and are meeting now.

Originally journalists were told they would talk to the press briefly at the start of the meeting.

But now reporters have been told that they will be let in as the meeting ends for some words. Whether that will just be a few platitudes as Trump and Burnham pose for pictures, or whether they will take questions, is not entirely clear.

They are not in the Oval Office in the White House (which is looking even more lavish than usual now that Trump has given it billionaire bling decor). Instead they are at the United Nations building, which is functional and a bit shabby. Here is a shot from the live feed from the room where reporters are waiting.

We were told that the meeting would last for about half an hour, which means it should have been over by now. But nothing ever runs on time at the UN …

Holding room where journalists are waiting, before being admitted to room where Trump and Burnham are meeting

Original source Trump says he has a better UK relationship with Burnham as PM – politics live

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