The Prime Minister will meet the US President today – follow live
Donald Trump (Image: Getty)
Prime Minister Andy Burnham will meet US President Donald J. Trump ahead of what is expected to be a showdown over the UK’s defence spending.
It will be the first time the pair have met in person after Mr Burnham swept into No10 hot on the heels of the departing Sir Keir Starmer.
Washington has grown increasingly agitated with London after the outbreak of the Iran war which saw the then-PM refuse to allow US warplanes use of a British airbase.
The President is expected to challenge Mr Burham over the UKs refusal to commit to increasing defence spending to three per cent in the next budget by 2030.
Defence spending is reported to be one of the main concerns from Washington about the British.
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UK must be ‘weaned’ off fossil fuels
Luke Pollard MP said that the country needed to “wean ourselves off fossil fuels” to reduce the impact of global energy prices.
He added: “I wish it could happen overnight, but I think we all know that building that level of renewable energy and achieving peace in some very difficult circumstances internationally is something that takes time.
“We’re working with our friends to try and deliver that de-escalation, and part of the reason why we deployed the RAF Voyager to Saudi Arabia, for instance, is to ensure there’s not further escalation in the Red Sea, which could further risk our fuel prices.”
Peace in the Middle East the best way to reduce fuel prices
Achieving peace in the Middle East and Ukraine is how fuel prices can come down, a Labour Party minister has said.
Luke Pollard, the defence minister, told the press the Government had “taken a number of measures” to ease the cost of living.
But he told BBC Breakfast that “ultimately the way that we’re going to get fuel prices down is to bring a close to the international action, both in the Middle East and also achieving a peace in Ukraine, because it is those conflicts that have spiked energy prices.”
French defend not intercepting migrant boat
A source said: “The boat was in a very bad way, and very low in the water, with just a single small outboard motor to power it.
“The sea was calm, and weather conditions were good, but the decision was taken to escort the boat, without intervening.”
The source said the focus was on ensuring maritime safety, and not on preventing the boat reaching the UK.
Because of currents and winds, the boat first began heading along the French coast, rather than out to sea, he added.
“Gendarmes were also involved in monitoring the boat from the shoreline, and – at around 3pm – there was a movement towards English waters,” said the source.
Fresh migrant crisis brewing in the Channel
A migrant dinghy is heading towards the UK after spending more than 24 hours at sea.
The boat, which is being shadowed by a French coastguard vessel, left the Normandy coast on Monday morning.
The dinghy is now approaching the Channel boundary line according to ship tracking data, and appears to have set off close to the village of Vierville-sur-Mer, west of Bayeux.
And two RNLI boatboats are racing out into the middle of the Channel, it is understood.
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Political Editor Martyn Brown discusses how Andy Burnham’s meeting with the US President could shape their relationship
Small boat heading for UK after 24 hours at sea
A migrant dinghy is heading towards the UK after spending more than 24 hours at sea.
The small boat, which is being shadowed by a French coastguard vessel, left the Normandy coast on Monday morning.
The dinghy is now approaching the Channel boundary line according to ship tracking data, and appears to have set off close to the village of Vierville-sur-Mer, west of Bayeux.
Daniel Thomas, known as Danny Tommo, the founder of anti-migration group Patriot Platform and an associate of political activist Tommy Robinson, claimed on social media he was going into the Channel to find the boat.
Minister insists UK’s borders are secure after unintercepted dinghy
The UK’s borders are secure, a minister has insisted after a migrant boat reached the Kent coast without being intercepted.
Five people were detained and passed to Border Security Command after the dinghy made it to shore at Folkestone on Monday – the first undetected landing for a year.
Defence minister Luke Pollard dismissed suggestions the Government had lost control of the border.
He told LBC: “Our borders are secure, but we want to make them stronger.”
Jenrick says borrowing figures are ‘national embarrassment’
Reform UK’s Treasury spokesman Robert Jenrick said new UK Government borrowing figures are a “national embarrassment”.
He added: “It has never been more urgent to make savings, such as the £80 billion Reform has identified to welfare, foreign aid, Net Zero, and Whitehall. Britain needs proper spending control not more of the same failed approach.
“Only Reform UK is prepared to take the hard decisions to stop the debt spiral.”
Andrew Neil warns of ‘grim Budget backdrop’
Broadcaster Andrew Neil warned Chancellor John Healey faces a “grim Budget backdrop” after new figures showed Government borrowing hit the second-highest August on record.
Labour warned it ‘cannot tax its way out of’ UK’s economic woes
The Institute for Economic Affairs think tank said the latest borrowing figures are “another warning that the government cannot tax its way out of Britain’s fiscal problems”.
Senior economist Dr Valentin Boboc said: “Borrowing is already £8 billion higher than the OBR expected at this point in the financial year, putting further pressure on the Chancellor ahead of the Budget.
“The problem is not weak revenues. Tax receipts are rising strongly, but spending is rising faster. With debt approaching £3 trillion and the cost of servicing it remaining painfully high, further tax rises would only paper over the cracks.
“The Chancellor needs to get a grip on spending and focus on reforms that can deliver stronger economic growth. Without that, Britain will remain stuck in a cycle of higher spending, higher taxes and disappointing growth.”
Minister says Labour will take ‘tough decisions’ on public finances
Responding to figures showing UK Government borrowing rose to £18.3 billion in August, Chief Secretary to the Treasury Emma Reynolds said: “Britain has huge potential to deliver good growth in every postcode, creating jobs, raising living standards and investing in the services people rely on.
“But we can only deliver that growth with fiscal discipline.
“At a time when debt interest costs billions of pounds that could otherwise be spent on improving lives, we must always know where the money is coming from to pay for public services.
“That is why we are committed to meeting our fiscal rules with a buffer against uncertainty, taking the tough decisions needed to keep the public finances on a sustainable path.”
Borrowing figures show Britain is ‘living far beyond its means’
The TaxPayers’ Alliance warned that the latest borrowing figures are a “stark warning that Britain is living far beyond its means”.
The campaign group’s chief executive John O’Connell said: “Welfare spending alone is forecast to hit almost £353 billion this year, yet ministers still refuse to confront a benefits bill that placing an ever-growing burden on taxpayers.
“The Chancellor should focus on tackling the ballooning welfare bill not reaching for another tax raid.”
Labour has ‘lost control of public finances’
The Tories warned that Labour has “lost control of the public finances” after official figures showed borrowing hit £18.3 billion in August.
The total is £8.1 billion more than expected so far this financial year.
Shadow chancellor Andrew Griffith said: “Labour have lost control of the public finances.
“They are borrowing so much they’ve overshot the OBR forecast by an extra £8 billion of debt.
“It takes a rare fiscal incontinence to both have the highest tax take in history and see borrowing still shoot up.
“Only the Conservatives will make the tough choices on welfare and public spending to get Britain’s finances under control.”
Burnham to ‘move beyond’ past criticism of Trump
Andy Burnham was asked about his previous criticism of Donald Trump as he travelled to the US.
The PM told journalists on the plane: “Politicians say things throughout their career, but now the important thing is to focus on the moment you are in, and I did say to the president in our first phone call, I said Mr President, Manchester isn’t ‘some town’. I said ‘this is Manchester’.
“And so yes, the right thing to do is to have a laugh about it, isn’t it, and move beyond it.”
The former Greater Manchester mayor said that “any UK politician who gave Trump the time of day should be ashamed right now” as rioters stormed the US Capitol in 2021.
Before their first conversation, Mr Trump had suggested he knew little about Mr Burnham beyond that he was “very liberal” and the mayor of a “town”.
Burnham says he can ‘trust’ Trump
Andy Burnham said he could “trust” Donald Trump and the special relationship was as strong as ever.
Speaking to reporters on the way to the US, the PM said: “When you come into this job, you realise how deep this relationship is.
“We trust our allies. Of course, we do.”
Asked if he trusted Mr Trump personally, the Prime Minister replied: “Yes.”
The PM is being accompanied on his transatlantic trip by wife Marie-France van Heel (Image: Getty)
Burnham to meet Trump
Andy Burnham will meet US President Donald Trump for their first face-to-face talks today.
The Prime Minister will also address the UN General Assembly in New York where he will insist Britain is not “on the slide”
Mr Burnham will say he has a “really upbeat message” about the UK, although he acknowledged there were long-term issues which needed to be addressed to improve living standards.
He told reporters accompanying him on the visit: “The plan for Britain is about ‘what is our direction over the next 10 years and how do we make life more affordable for people’. That is my main priority, that’s what people are looking for.
“I hear people saying the country is on the slide – we’re the fastest growing in the G7, there’s lots to be proud of, there’s a lot right with the country and I’m going to give a really upbeat message when I speak.”