Burnham expects to find 'common ground' with Trump in first meeting

Legenda da figura, Assista: O que podemos esperar da primeira reunião presencial de Burnham com Trump.

• Published22 September 2026, 02:31 BST.

Burnham diz que informou a Trump que o Reino Unido será pragmático em relação ao petróleo do Mar do Norte. Publicado em 30 de julho.

Andy Burnham said he expects to find "common ground" with Donald Trump at the pair's first face-to-face meeting on Tuesday.

The prime minister and US president are in New York City for the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations.

The two men have spoken by phone twice since Burnham became prime minister in July, with Downing Street saying those calls established a "productive relationship.

We've found a connection. So, I will go with where I feel it's right, to meet him where he is at, and search for that common ground, which I'm sure we'll find," the prime minister told reporters on his flight to the US, adding "I'm looking forward to it.

Ao ser questionado sobre o estado da relação entre o Reino Unido e os EUA, o primeiro‑ministro disse que acredita que ela está "mais forte do que nunca.

Burnham has travelled to New York with his wife, Marie-France van Heel, for a day of diplomacy and a speech to the UN General Assembly, which is expected to focus on the opportunities and dangers associated with artificial intelligence (AI).

Eu defenderei a necessidade de uma cooperação internacional mais estreita em IA, de uma paz justa e duradoura na Ucrânia e de esforços renovados para pôr fim ao conflito no Oriente Médio, pois o que acontece no exterior afeta cada um de nós em casa.

The prime minister will also announce the start of work on a new AI and Autonomy partnership between the UK and the US, focused on protecting critical national infrastructure using AI tech.

Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey is expected to criticise this plan at the final day of his party's conference, saying it "doesn't come close to meeting the scale of the threat" and "only risks making us more dependent on a Trump administration in the pocket of the tech bros.

He will also call for a global pause on superintelligent AI and propose a new International AI Safety Agency.

His criticisms come after a series of stark warnings from the AI industry about the technology's possible dangers.

Para um novo primeiro‑ministro britânico, a primeira reunião com um presidente dos EUA sempre foi um encontro decisivo, mas os oficiais estão bem cientes do risco adicional de uma aparição pública ao lado do presidente mais imprevisível da história americana.

In advance of the meeting, the UK revealed that the UK and the US have, for the first time, fired an American torpedo from a British undersea drone in a military exercise.

O torpedo, descrito como “heavyweight” pelos oficiais do Reino Unido, é “designed to sink ships and deep diving submarines”, disse Downing Street.

It was launched in UK waters last week from a 12-metre long undersea drone called Excalibur, made in Plymouth.

It is the first time either the UK or the US have launched a torpedo from an uncrewed underwater vessel, rather than a crewed submarine, and is seen as a breakthrough in attempts to protect vital infrastructure such as deep sea data cables.

Our work together already shows what can be achieved when our two countries combine our expertise and innovation," the prime minister said.

Burnham também foi questionado por repórteres sobre o governo britânico buscando entregar as Ilhas Chagos a Maurício e pagar para alugar de volta a base militar conjunta US-UK em Diego Garcia.

It was confirmed in April that the deal had been paused indefinitely because of Trump pulling his support.

Burnham falou com o primeiro‑ministro da Maurícia, Navin Ramgoolam, na segunda‑feira.

He was asked by reporters to outline what he had told Ramgoolam, whether he supported the deal and if he had a plan to convince Trump to back it.

Burnham replied: "I said that we remain determined to secure the long-term operation of the base, which is crucial to our security and that of our allies.

A garantia que eu ofereci foi que eu trabalharia em direção a uma resolução; no momento, não temos isso, mas eu assegurei que me comprometeria a trabalhar em prol de uma.