US president calls UK prime minister ‘a natural businessperson’ as leaders meet at UN assembly in New York

Donald Trump has asserted his relationship with the UK is “more up” with Andy Burnham than under Keir Starmer despite tensions between the two countries on a range of thorny issues including regulation of artificial intelligence, the Chagos Islands and the war in Iran.

At their first face-to-face meeting, the US president praised Burnham, who sat nervously alongside him, as a “natural businessperson”, saying he thought he had “lots of assets on his side” and would be a “great” prime minister.

Burnham, who was joined in the talks by Ed Miliband, the foreign secretary, and Jonathan Powell, his national security adviser, said he and Trump had built on the “good connection” they established early on, in an effort to shore up relations which had splintered over Iran.

UK officials reacted with relief that the talks appeared to have gone according to plan. But despite the warm words at the UN general assembly in New York, there were still signs of difficulties ahead.

On his way to the US, Burnham had revealed he would urge the US president to de-escalate the Iran conflict, with turmoil in the Middle East pushing up global energy prices, putting the UK economy under intense pressure.

Much of the summit has been dominated by geopolitical turbulence, with Trump using his speech to double down on his strategy. The president repeated his threat to “annihilate” Iran, adding he would “drive them into hell” if they did not back down and sign a peace deal with the US.

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