Andy Burnham is bracing for his first face-to-face meeting with Donald Trump just hours after Nigel Farage issued a dire warning to the Prime Minister.
Mr Burnham, who will meet with the US President in New York City as world leaders gather at the United Nations, last night told reporters he “found a connection” with Mr Trump.
He said: “I will go with where I feel it’s right, to meet him where he is at, and search for that common ground, which I’m sure we’ll find.”
The Prime Minister added: “I will be making the case for closer international co-operation on AI, a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, and renewed efforts to bring an end to the conflict in the Middle East because what happens abroad impacts each and every one of us at home.”
However, Mr Burnham will arrive in New York alongside his wife, Marie-France Van Heel, following a series of warnings from political leaders at home.
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey is reportedly going to say it “doesn’t come close to meeting the scale of the threat” and “only risks making us more dependent on a Trump administration in the pocket of the tech bros”.
Meanwhile, Mr Farage told GB News: “If Andy Burnham walks in there and says ‘we’re going to continue giving China massive influence over this’, well, there are two things really.
“One is the Diego Garcia base, the second, of course, is the Chagossian people. But I think frankly, he needs to say that’s not going to go ahead.”
The Reform UK leader added: “We’ve got to look out for that very, very carefully, but if you get off on the wrong foot like that, it won’t go well.”
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Manchester to host next G20 meeting
World leaders including Donald Trump will be invited to Manchester next year as the UK hosts the G20 group of advanced economies.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham will welcome counterparts for a major summit in the city in November 2027.
Invitations will be extended to all members of the G20 including Vladimir Putin’s Russia despite the diplomatic strains on the relationship with the Kremlin following the invasion of Ukraine.
Other G20 leaders who will be invited include China’s Xi Jinping and Argentina’s Javier Milei.
The announcement was made as Mr Burnham prepared to attend his first major gathering of world leaders as Prime Minister, the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Work on hosting the summit in Manchester had begun before Mr Burnham took office but the Prime Minister has been an enthusiastic cheerleader for the city since entering Downing Street, including establishing the No10 North operation there.
Andy Burnham to tell world leaders: Forget the past 10 years for Britain, the next decade will be different
Britain “can be hopeful about where we’re going, draw a line under the last decade and say ‘this next one’s going to be different'”, Andy Burnham will tell world leaders today.
The Prime Minister said he was going to cut a defiant approach when he speaks to the United Nations General Assembly tonight after his first meeting with US President Donald Trump.
Speaking to journalists travelling with him to New York City, Mr Burnham said: “I’m going to give a really upbeat message when I speak tomorrow.
“We can be hopeful about where we’re going, we can draw a line under the last decade and say this next one’s going to be different, and it is going to be different, that’s my approach, will be my approach as Prime Minister.
READ CHOPPER’S DISPATCH FROM NEW YORK HERE.
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