Andy Burnham praised Denmark and the United States after they agreed a new arrangement to strengthen security in Greenland and the wider Arctic and North Atlantic. The deal follows months of Donald Trump’s threats to take control of Greenland by force, and is intended to reinforce regional defence while preventing hostile countries from establishing bases there.

The agreement would allow the US to expand its military presence in Greenland, although its precise terms, including the scale of the expansion and any impact on control of foreign policy or resources, remain undisclosed. Danish and Greenlandic leaders said the pact would respect Greenland’s self-determination and Danish sovereignty, while Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey dismissed Trump’s claim of victory, arguing that the agreement largely mirrors arrangements in place since the 1950s.