# Burnham meets Trump on weaker ground

> The UK prime minister faces a president hobbled by domestic troubles and an Iran war, but Trump remains dangerously unpredictable.
- Title: Burnham meets Trump on weaker ground · the Guardian | Shortify
- Summary: The UK prime minister faces a president hobbled by domestic troubles and an Iran war, but Trump remains dangerously unpredictable. Andy Burnham meets Donald…
- Keywords: andy burnham, donald trump, uk prime minister, us president, uk us relations, iran war, keir starmer, nato, trade policy, news, world, Burnham
- Source: the Guardian — https://theguardian.com/us-news/2026/sep/20/andy-burnham-faces-a-weakened-trump-but-the-president-remains-unpredictable
- Published: 2026-09-20T18:45:23+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: andy burnham, donald trump, uk prime minister, us president, uk us relations, iran war, keir starmer, nato, trade policy, news, world
## Burnham meets Trump on Tuesday
Andy Burnham will meet Donald Trump face-to-face on Tuesday. No international relationship has more power to determine the success of Burnham's premiership than this one.
## Trump weakened by inflation and Iran
Trump is unpopular at home, where inflation remains high, and is mired in an intractable conflict in Iran that has the potential to sink his midterm dreams.
## Starmer's cautious approach in February
When Keir Starmer first visited Trump in February twenty twenty-five, the president had just won the US election and was at the height of his powers, showing muscle on NATO and Ukraine.
## Starmer kept Trump on board but looked obsequious
Starmer's keep calm and carry on strategy helped keep Trump on board the defence alliance and protected the UK from the worst of his aggression over trade. But it came with a cost.

> keep calm and carry on
## Burnham signals a different approach
In June, Burnham signalled he would take a different direction. He said the relationship is important to the UK, but not to the point where we just go along with anything they say.

> Obviously the relationship is important to the UK, but not to the point where we just go along with anything they say
## Burnham aims for a third way
Downing Street insiders expect Burnham to take a third way between Starmer and Canadian prime minister Mark Carney, pushing back more than his predecessor publicly and privately, but avoiding open diplomatic warfare.
## Trump has criticized Burnham before
In June, Trump suggested Burnham was extremely liberal and dismissively described him as the mayor of a town. Trump remains angry the UK did not join his strikes on Iran.

> extremely liberal
## But the pair have spoken and got on
The pair have spoken on the phone twice and are said to have got on. Burnham's laid-back, confident style is likely to go down well with Trump, who has warmed to leftwingers before.
## Iran war weighs on UK economy and future
Trump's war in Iran continues to wreak damage on the British economy. While the war continues, Burnham will struggle to deliver his promises of change. Trump remains in power for two more years.
## Key takeaway

Andy Burnham meets Donald Trump on Tuesday with the US president weakened by inflation and an Iran conflict, giving the UK prime minister more room to push back than his predecessor had.