Downing Street has described the first phone call between new prime minister Andy Burnham and US President Donald Trump as "extremely warm", following the call taking place within an hour of Mr Burnham arriving in Downing Street. The exchange marks a notably positive start to the relationship, contrasting with Mr Trump's previous dismissive remarks about Mr Burnham as "extremely liberal" and "mayor of a town", and is being seen as a reset in transatlantic relations after ties with Sir Keir Starmer became strained over the Iran war.

The roughly 20-minute call reportedly covered North Sea oil, trade and demining of the Strait of Hormuz, with Mr Trump afterwards saying Mr Burnham "has got a big job ahead of him" and pledging US support. Downing Street declined to confirm whether Mr Trump's optimism about new North Sea drilling was well-founded, despite Labour's manifesto commitment against new licences, while newly appointed Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh said oil and gas remain "part of the mix". Separately, Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband is expected to hold his first talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the ASEAN summit in the Philippines, and Mr Burnham has confirmed he will maintain the existing policy allowing US use of UK bases for strikes against Iran.