Andy Burnham is preparing for a potentially tense first meeting with Donald Trump at the UN General Assembly in New York. Their talks may touch on disagreements over Iran, the Middle East, Russia, the Falkland Islands, Irish unification, online safety and artificial intelligence, while Downing Street reportedly wants to keep the encounter brief to reduce the risk of controversy.

Trump has criticised Britain’s reluctance to join US-Israeli military action against Iran and has appeared to question American support over the Falklands. Burnham previously said he would avoid meeting Trump, but now says he intends to seek common ground in the British public’s interests; ministers nevertheless insist the two men will get on well.