Trump meets Burnham at UN, criticises Chagos deal

President Donald Trump met British Prime Minister Andy Burnham for the first time on Tuesday at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, praising Burnham's election victory and signaling warmer ties while renewing his opposition to Britain's planned transfer of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. Trump opened the bilateral meeting by calling it an honour to be with the Prime Minister and describing Burnham's election win as a big one, adding that he thought Burnham would be a great Prime Minister. The two men discussed topics ranging from Rolls-Royce to energy to immigration, Trump said. Asked whether U.S.-U.K. relations had been up and down, Trump replied that they were more up now than they were with Burnham's predecessor, Keir Starmer, who left office before Burnham took the top job in July. Burnham, in turn, said the two had established a good connection in earlier discussions and would build on the relationship. The warm public tone did not paper over disagreements. Trump said he does not support Britain's agreement with Mauritius to hand over the Chagos Islands, calling it a terrible deal and ridiculous, and stressing the strategic importance of Diego Garcia, a U.S.