Andy Burnham says he and Trump "established a good connection" in early talks

Prime Minister Andy Burnham met President Donald Trump for the first time in person on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, where they spent 40 minutes discussing trade, energy and immigration, among other topics. Burnham gave a favorable account of the encounter, saying it followed constructive preliminary talks. Trump claimed U.S.-U.K. ties were stronger than under former Prime Minister Keir Starmer, praised Burnham's Makerfield by-election victory and called him business-minded. Burnham emphasized a positive vision for Britain and a 10-year plan after years of post-Brexit disruption. The leaders nevertheless differed on artificial intelligence regulation and the Chagos Islands, including the Diego Garcia base; Trump criticized the sovereignty transfer to Mauritius as a bad deal, while Burnham backed international AI rules that Trump rejected.