Andy Burnham says he will disagree with Trump in public if necessary

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham has vowed to disagree publicly with US President Donald Trump if necessary, speaking in his first major broadcast interview since entering 10 Downing Street. Burnham’s comments came as Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said the Trump administration does not seek allies who “suck up” but rather those confident enough to articulate disagreements when required.

Burnham, relatively inexperienced in foreign policy, had a warm phone call with Trump shortly after taking office, according to Downing Street officials. However, with Washington resuming strikes on Iran, early tensions are possible: Burnham maintains former PM Keir Starmer’s policy of not backing US offensive operations, a stance that previously drew fierce public criticism from Trump.

Speaking to the BBC's “Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg”, Burnham said: “I can’t at any point say that I won’t take a different opinion from him [Trump], that I will need to voice a different idea that is right for Britain.” The new PM added that if necessary, he would set out differences in public: “You have to defend your own national interest before anything else. That’s what you’re required to do if you’re to do this job properly.”

Streeting, in an interview on Sky News’ “Sunday with Trevor Phillips”, said he had spoken to his US counterpart Pete Hegseth and had been blunt about continued differences over Iran. “I was clear that we have not supported offensive action in Iran and we won’t support offensive action in Iran. But there are plenty of things that we can and should do together,” he said. Such directness was valued by Trump and his team, Streeting argued: “The first thing you do is, you don’t suck up. My impression is, President Trump, his administration – that’s not what they’re looking for. He’s a straight talker.”

Asked if he trusted the US president, Streeting replied: “I don’t know him, but I do trust the United States.” Being in the defence role, he added, gave him “a unique insight into just how close and integral that relationship is when it comes to defence and security.”

Burnham ruled out an early general election, saying: “There’s no early general election. I don’t think people want it.” He noted that people “voted for a manifesto” in 2024, adding: “I just think what I most need to do is get Britain focused on getting the country back where it should be.”

On defence spending, Burnham acknowledged being “very aware” of Chancellor John Healey’s desire to increase spending quickly to 3% of GDP, but refused to give a timetable. “The first challenge facing us both is to ensure that the defence investment plan is fully funded and that’s the thing that’s right in front of us and we need to work that through as we go towards the budget later this year,” he said. Streeting told Sky that as defence secretary he had a duty to ensure any increased budget was spent wisely, citing longstanding issues with defence procurement and value for money.