New UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham has appointed Ed Miliband, a vocal critic of Donald Trump, as foreign secretary, prompting sharp criticism from allies of the US president. The move has raised concerns in Washington and among British conservatives about the future of the UK-US "special relationship", given Miliband's history of clashing with Trump's positions, particularly on climate policy.

Nile Gardiner, a former adviser to Margaret Thatcher, branded the appointment "disastrous", warning that Burnham's broader left-wing agenda risks steering Britain back towards the economic decline of the 1970s and undoing Thatcher's legacy. Burnham took office after Sir Keir Starmer stepped down as prime minister, and has signalled a break from Thatcher-era policy along with a call for a "new political model", fuelling expectations of a more strained relationship with the Trump administration.