Burnham would call out Trump if in Britain's interest

LONDON, July 26: Britain's new Prime Minister Andy Burnham "will always put Britain's interests first", he told the BBC in an interview when asked whether he was willing to call out U.S. President Donald Trump.

Burnham's predecessor Keir Starmer, who announced he was stepping down last month, had a fraught relationship with Trump due to differences over the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, immigration, energy and tech regulation.

While Trump initially described Starmer's successor as "extremely liberal", he said this week he had a "very good conversation" with Burnham, who became Britain's seventh prime minister in a decade on Monday.

In his first major interview since taking office, parts of which were released on Sunday, BBC journalist Laura Kuenssberg asked Burnham if he was willing to call out Trump if he thought it was the right thing to do.

"All leaders have to do that. You have to defend your own national interest before anything else. That's what you're required to do if you're to do this job properly," he said.

The prime minister also said he would not call a general election before 2029.

"I'm going to rule it out. Yeah, there's no early general election. I don't think people want it," he said.

On Britain's national defence, Burnham said he was "absolutely committed" to what was promised to NATO partners. London has pledged to spend 3.5% of GDP on defence by 2035, in line with a new NATO target.
�" REUTERS