Prime Minister Andy Burnham spoke to world leaders for the first time since taking office
Burnham pictured in his first meeting with Trump at the UN (Image: Getty)
Andy Burnham addressed the UN general assembly in New York for the first time since he became Prime Minister overnight
Burnham was on his first major diplomatic trip since moving into Downing Street, holding meetings with high-profile figures.
His address comes hours after he met US President Donald Trump for the first time. Burnham said the meeting was ‘excellent’, and while Trump said Britain’s new PM was a ‘man he could do business with’, he heavily criticised the Chagos Islands deal in front of Burnham.
Speaking to reporters afterwards, President Trump said: “I don’t support it. I think it’s terrible. It was a terrible deal. They [Mauritius] all of a sudden say they have ownership. It’s amazing how strategic it is, and I think the Prime Minister is going to be looking at it.”
The Labour leader, who was sitting next to him, agreed and said “yeah”, marking a change in his position en-route to New York when he said he would do “everything possible” to find a resolution to the deal.
This live news event has ended. Thank you for reading.
Burnham closes with ‘count on us’ message
Burnham’s opening gambit was to tell the world ‘Britain is back’ — and after 20 minutes, he closed by saying that meant global politicians can ‘count on us’ in the years to come.
He concluded his speech by saying: “You can count on us to stand up for those long standing British values of fairness and justice.
“Count on us to fight racism, discrimination and the abuse of power wherever we see it. Count on us to bring people together.
“Count on us to meet fear and division with unity and hope.”
Burnham reiterates Gaza two-state solution support
Towards the end of his address, Burnham turned his attention to the Middle East, and renewed calls for a two-state solution in Gaza.
He condemned Hamas’ 2023 attack on Israel as ‘utterly horrific’, but then said of Israel’s response in the years since: “Far too many people have died, including so many children. Far too little aid is getting in, and it has gone on for far too long.”
That was why the UK ‘banned trading goods with illegal settlements, recognised the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territory is unlawful, and sanctioned those taking part in the construction of illegal settlements’ earlier this month, he said. But Burnham looked to the future and said the two-state solution must ‘stay alive’.
He added: “We want to see the suffering and death finally come to an end. We want to see Israeli and Palestinian people living side by side in peace and security. And we will do all we can to keep the hope of that possibility alive.”
(Image: Getty)
Ai deal announced
Fourthly, Burnham announced a new national security deal with the US just hours after first meeting Donald Trump, as part of a section of his address which touched on AI fears.
He told delegates: “I am announcing today that we are developing a new AI defence partnership with the United States to protect our critical national infrastructure.”
Details of the deal have not been revealed.
Burnham went on to say that, as ‘AI will also be a source of disruption to the way we live and work’, he wants the UK to act as an ‘honest broker’ to draw up ‘a single set of global principles and standards’ for the development of frontier AI.
The new policies announced by Burnham
Secondly and thirdly, we learned Burnham has launched two new domestic policies.
The first is a new National Centre for Information Defence to fight Russian disinformation. The new unit is initially being led out of the Office for the Prime Minister and Cabinet, with the new centre working alongside intelligence agencies, government departments, the police and social media companies.
And thirdly, the new government is set to unveil a new decade-long plan for the country later this year, Burnham revealed for the first time at the UN.
It will focus on getting more people into work — especially young people — and easing the cost-of-living crisis for most people, Burnham said, but he did not announce any specific measures at the time.
However, it appears Burnham is selling this new plan as a response to insecurity. He said ‘security starts in every home’, and he believes getting more people in work means they are less susceptible to falling foul of misinformation online.
What did we learn from the speech?
We’ve picked out six things from the speech that we learned. First up is the scale Russian interference with UK daily life.
The PM said: “Russian agencies have used every means at their disposal to spread lies and disinformation and prey on people’s fear.
“They’ve used bots and fake websites. Falsified newspaper articles. Forged the branding of 28 British organisations – including universities and the BBC. They’ve amplified far-right narratives.
“And we have evidence that they tried to interfere with the 2019 General Election.”
He added Putin’s government spends ‘£1.3 billion’ on ‘manipulating information’.
This section of the speech drew a chilling reaction from the onlooking Russian delegates.
Burnham speaks to the world
Here are some more images of Burnham’s speech. It was wide-ranging, covering Russian interference with UK elections, the future of AI, the war in Gaza, and Britain’s role in the world of diplomacy.
Probably unsurprisingly, the former Mayor mentioned Manchester four times in his speech, and the north of England once.
(Image: Getty)
(Image: Getty)
Burnham ends his speech with ‘count on us’
Burnham has finished his 16-minute speech by saying the UN can ‘count on us’ to ‘work towards new solution for the 21st century’.
In full, he said: “You can count on us, to stand up for those long standing British values of fairness and justice.
“Count on us to fight racism, discrimination and the abuse of power wherever we see it
“Count on us to bring people together.
“Count on us to meet fear and division with unity and hope.”
Burnham turns towards AI
The PM is now addressing AI – he has announced the UK has signed a national security deal with AI with the US, and will put ‘AI at the heart of our G20 presidency’ next year.
Burnham announces 10-year plan for Britain
Burnham has just announced he will launch a 10-year plan for Britain, to be unveiled later in 2026.
He is also creating a National Centre for Information Defence to ‘protect and disrupt information attacks’ in light of Russian interference.
Burnham touches on Brexit straight away
Almost immediately, Burnham has touched on Brexit, hitting out at its ‘consquences’.
From there, he has launched a blistering attack on Russian interference within the UK, saying it spends £1.3b annually on disinformation.
“No more. We are going to face the new decade in a different way, with our eyes wide open. We are going to be much prouder in standing up for our values,” he says.
Burnham steps on stage
Andy Burnham, described as ‘His Excellency’ by the UN President, is on-stage now.
He says he will ‘tell the world how Britain will deliver leadership in the coming decade’.
Japanese PM still speaking
Sanae Takaichi, Prime Minister of Japan, is still speaking to the general assembly.
She’s called for reform of the UN Security Council in a wide-ranging speech.
Burnham due to start speaking in a few moments
Andy Burnham is due to start his speech at the UN in a few moments.
At the moment, Japanese PM Sanae Takaichi, the first woman to lead the country, is addressing the conference.
Who else has Burnham met with?
It’s been something of a meet and greet marathon for Burnham, as he’s been pictured meeting Australian PM Anthony Albanese, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Albanese and Burnham stroll through New York (Image: Getty)
Burnham meets Ursula von der Leyen (Image: Getty)
Burnham: ‘Two-state solution in Israel and Palestine must be kept alive’
In more news cmoing from the UN meeting this evening, AP reports Burnham has renewed calls for a two-state solution in the Middle East amid the war in Gaza.
He chaired a meeting at the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday on the issue, alongside French President Emmanuel Macron, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan.
Burnham told delegates from dozens of countries that the U.K. has banned trade with Israeli settlements in the West Bank because the “E1” settlement expansion plan is “a deliberate attempt to block a two-state solution.”
He said: “We all live in an era of low trust in politics. Many people in this room, many politicians around the world, have spoken for decades about a two-state solution. But if we fail to back those words with deeds, we will further corrode trust in the political, diplomatic and international process.”
(Image: Getty)
How did Burnham’s first meeting with Trump go?
Burnham met Trump for the first time earlier on Tuesday.
The pair had ‘excellent’ talks, Burnham said, and it seems like he has won some respect from the President as Trump said Burnham was ‘a man he could do business with’.
It doesn’t appear Burnham coped Keir Starmer‘s playbook on how to handle Trump, as the ex-PM gave the President a letter from the King inviting him for an official visit when the pair first met in 2025.
However, the PM was forced into ‘looking at’ the Chagos Islands deal after Trump slammed it as ‘terrible’ right in front of Burnham.
Burnham and Trump address the media (Image: Getty)
When is the speech?
Andy Burnham is due to address the UN general assembly at 12:30am UK time on Wednesday (September 23), or in just over one hours’ time.
He has already been pictured in meetings with other world leaders, such as Emmanuel Macron of France and Mark Carney of Canada.
Burnham speaks with his French and Canadian counterparts (Image: Getty)