Burnham Meets Trump at the UN: Tone, Chagos and What Was Said
Andy Burnham met Donald Trump in a windowless basement room at the United Nations for talks on Chagos, Ukraine, immigration and the West Bank.
Journalists were due to go in at the start. The BBC said they were kept waiting while private talks took place BBC. When reporters entered, the BBC said Burnham looked a little nervous.
The room was down a corridor in the basement. The BBC said Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband was in the room. BBC political editor Chris Mason said he crouched between cameras to catch Trump's eye to ask a question.
Mason asked: "Mr President, do you think he [Burnham] is a man you can do business with, despite your political differences?" The BBC said the question and the exchange that followed were carried on its live coverage on 22 September BBC.
Trump said Burnham is "a natural business person". He said they had spoken many times on the phone before the meeting.
On Chagos, the deal in which Britain agreed to hand sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius and pay to keep using the military base on Diego Garcia, Trump said the decision was "terrible". He said "I think the prime minister is going to be looking at [the Chagos deal]". Burnham said "yep".
Questions on immigration and on the Burnham government's decision to sanction settlements in the West Bank came and went without incident.
Mason then spoke to Burnham on behalf of all broadcasters in a pooled interview, where one conversation is shared with all channels. Burnham said the meeting was "very encouraging". He said "we've established a good connection".
On Chagos, Burnham said he had "inherited" the deal. He said work would continue to find a resolution.
The meeting at the UN General Assembly, the yearly gathering of world leaders at the UN, had been trailed as a test of tone. Ahead of the trip, Reuters said Burnham wanted to show 'pragmatism' Reuters. The same report said he planned to press for more support for Ukraine. The encounter was also covered in a UK politics live blog on 22 September The Guardian. Earlier in September, the BBC had reported on Burnham's West Bank position BBC.
The broader context here is one Westminster watchers will know well. A first meeting of this kind is judged on atmosphere as much as results, a bit like a first interview where tone counts. No agreement was announced. No timetable was given. The language was cordial. Difficult items were raised in front of cameras without a visible row.
Looking to the weeks ahead, two points are worth watching. The first is Chagos. Trump's use of "terrible" keeps US pressure in public view. Burnham's use of "inherited" puts distance between his government and the deal without dropping it. What "looking at" the deal means was left unclear. The second is method. The pooled interview let Downing Street call the meeting "very encouraging" before other views could settle. The test now is whether that warmth holds once policy detail follows.
