Andy Burnham is heading into his first meeting with Donald Trump with some big issues on his mind.
On the plane on the way to New York, the prime minister announced he had agreed to a request from Saudi Arabia for military support in repelling attacks by the Iran-backed Houthis.
It will be limited to “defensive air-to-air refuelling”, understood to involve a single RAF Voyager plane, but it is still UK action in a new conflict zone, a sober decision for any prime minister.
Burnham stressed that his decision was linked to his concern with cost of living pressures at home, due to the disruption Houthi attacks on Saudi are causing to shipping routes through the Red Sea and the need to keep those pathways open.
This is a high-stakes meeting with Trump. Burnham insists he is looking forward to it and believes he has the basis of a warm relationship built over the phone, where they found “common ground and connection.”
It’s unlikely he will want to look quite as fawning as Keir Starmer, telling reporters on the plane, “I have developed my own approach through the calls I’ve mentioned”.
He brushed off disobliging comments he’s made about the president in the past, pointing out that he had corrected Trump’s description of Manchester as “some town” and they had laughed about it.
That laid-back, ‘man of the people’ approach may go down well with the president, who is drawn to confident leaders.
The fact that their first meeting is at the UN, rather than on the president’s home turf at the White House, may work in his favour too, a shorter time frame with less opportunity for Trump to veer off piste.
Although there are always plenty of potential elephant traps with President Trump, especially while he is still smarting from the perceived slight of the UK not joining his action against Iran.
The prime minister has the task of trying to encourage the US towards finding a way to end that war, whilst also wanting to use the meeting to advance Ukraine’s cause, particularly the need for more air defence support.
Aside from global conflict, the clear focus of this trip for Burnham is AI and navigating a path between its risks and benefits. The Minister for Artificial Intelligence, Kanishka Narayan, is travelling with him, evidence of the prominence he is giving to the issue.
The prime minister admitted recent warnings over the possibility of AI destroying humanity had given him pause.
He intends to use Britain’s upcoming presidency of the G20 to push for a global approach to AI, saying: “We are in a strong and unique position to do something. I think we can be an honest broker. We are a top AI power.”
When asked whether that would include the UK being a leader in a global regulatory system, Burnham said: “We are coming in at a moment when someone needs to play that role and I think we are better placed to do it than many others.”
Whether the US president, who has described recent warnings on AI as a hoax, is in the mood to listen is another matter.
Burnham, clearly keen to avoid the ‘never here Keir’ accusations levelled at his predecessor, is not only making this trip a very brief one but is linking all the efforts he will be making abroad to easing pressures felt by voters at home.
As his spokesperson put it: “British people are at the forefront of the PM’s mission in New York, because to deliver at home, we must ensure we are leading global efforts to brighten the darkening global picture”.
The trouble is, almost all the factors contributing to that gloomy picture are beyond the British prime minister’s control.
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