‘I hear he’s extremely liberal’: Trump offers first comments on Andy Burnham

Donald Trump has labelled Andy Burnham “extremely liberal”, in his first public comments about the former Greater Manchester mayor since he emerged as the frontrunner to replace Keir Starmer. The US president told reporters Burnham “probably won’t open up the North Sea” for oil exploration, and that “the UK is dying”, signalling that the newly elected Labour MP could face a rocky relationship with Trump. Burnham has been critical of Trump in the past, describing American politics as “polarised” and “poisonous” while on the campaigning trail in Makerfield this month. As rioters stormed the US Capitol in 2021, Burnham posted on X: “Any UK politician who gave Trump the time of day should be ashamed right now.” Asked on Wednesday what he knew about Burnham, Trump said: “I don’t know, I think I see that he was, I guess, the mayor of a town.” “I hear he’s extremely liberal, extremely, so that means he probably won’t open up the North Sea.” Since Trump’s election victory in November 2024, Starmer has sought to pursue a conciliatory approach with him, and initially drew praise for his deft handling of the unpredictable president, but their relationship deteriorated over the Iran conflict. Burnham’s route to No 10 appears wide open, with few other Labour MPs being discussed as potential challengers. Trump’s comments on Burnham came during a meeting with Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte. Trump and Nato’s Mark Rutte speak during a meeting in the Oval Office. …