Andy Burnham could be ‘pressured’ to adopt a more confrontational approach towards President Trump if he becomes Prime Minister by Labour MPs, a US foreign policy expert has warned.
Speaking to GB News, Dr Jack Clayton said that the special relationship was at its “lowest point in decades” under Sir Keir Starmer and feared further friction under his expected successor.
The outgoing Prime Minister has overseen an uneven relationship with Mr Trump, presiding over successful state visits across the Atlantic but also bruising rows.
Dr Clayton explained that a leftward drift under Mr Burnham would create a further rift between London and Washington.
“With the expected Prime Minister Andy Burnham coming in, of course, he is presenting himself as more to the left of Keir Starmer.
“Donald Trump, for one thing, wouldn't like that.”
The US leader, when quizzed on Mr Burnham as the potential next British leader, described him as “extremely liberal” and warned that he “probably won't open up” the North Sea for energy extraction.
Figures in the Trump Administration have also suggested that appointing Ed Miliband as Chancellor would be a “mistake”, citing his net-zero policies as Energy Secretary.
More than an ideological disagreement, Dr Clayton predicted Labour MPs could push Mr Burnham to pursue a more confrontational approach to the White House.
“We don't necessarily know if Labour MPs are going to put a bit more pressure on the incoming government to be a little bit more competitive towards Donald Trump as well,” he said.
“The US-UK relationship has been a very important one, particularly around security and intelligence.
“It has, thankfully, improved significantly 250 years on. But it is undoubtedly a relationship that needs to be maintained.”
“It's been a little bit rocky, particularly since the beginning of the Iran war,” Dr Clayton began, noting the UK's decision not to participate in US military action.
Sir Keir’s descsion drew a volcanic response from Mr Trump, who declared the Prime Minister was “no Winston Churchill” and that the special relationship was “no longer what it was”.
“This is definitely amongst the lowest points for certainly a few decades that the UK-US relationship is in,” the US expert explained.
The row over Iran refreshed US complaints over defence spending among European allies, particularly the UK.
Dr Clayton argued that the pressure on Britain to shoulder more of the defence burden is unlikely to disappear after Mr Trump leaves office.
“One of the things that Democrats and Republicans seem to have in common is that they do want to have a slightly more restrained role in the world, focusing more on direct interests,” he said.
“I think that whether it's a Democrat or Republican in the future, post-Trump, there will continue to be pressure on NATO and allies to step up more, regardless of who is in office.”
The grim outlook was not shared by all, as US Ambassador to the UK Warren Stephens told GB News: “There's every reason in the world that our relationship will be the same in another 250 years.”
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