Prime Minister Andy Burnham is travelling to New York for his first face-to-face meeting with US President Donald Trump at the United Nations General Assembly. Despite previously describing Trump's politics as "poisonous", Burnham has made a significant diplomatic shift, now declaring that he trusts the President and views him as an ally, insisting the UK-US Special Relationship is "as strong as it's ever been". This visit signals an attempt to reset relations between the two countries ahead of substantial policy discussions.

Burnham plans to address several sensitive topics during the visit, including urging Trump to strengthen NATO support against Russian provocation, persuade him to take artificial intelligence safety seriously (despite Trump recently dismissing AI concerns as a hoax), and seek his cooperation on the controversial Chagos Islands sovereignty handover to Mauritius. He will also meet European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to discuss the UK's stalled EU relations reset. The pair have previously traded public barbs, with Trump dismissing Burnham as "the mayor of some town", though both have now agreed to move past such rhetoric and focus on present cooperation.