UK PM Burnham says he'll oppose Trump for Britain

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has stated he is prepared to publicly disagree with U.S. President Donald Trump to defend Britain's national interest, while also ruling out an early general election. The comments came in a BBC interview broadcast on July 26, following Burnham's first conversation with Trump earlier in the week.

Burnham said he would not hesitate to voice a different opinion from the U.S. president if necessary. He emphasized that defending Britain's national interest is the primary requirement of his job. The two leaders spoke by phone on July 20, shortly after Burnham arrived in Downing Street. Downing Street described the 20-minute conversation as "extremely warm," and Trump later posted on social media that Burnham "has got a big job ahead of him, but he will be able to do it" and pledged U.S. support.

The new prime minister also addressed defense spending, a point of contention in the previous government. He declined to commit to a specific timetable for increasing defense spending to 3% of GDP but acknowledged the position of his Chancellor, John Healey. Healey had resigned as defense secretary under former Prime Minister Keir Starmer, citing a lack of...