Trump says he knows little about Andy Burnham as Labour race opens

Donald Trump gave his first public reaction to Andy Burnham on Wednesday, saying he knew little about the mayor of Greater Manchester and describing him as “extremely liberal” during a White House appearance with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte. Trump also referred to Burnham as “the mayor of a town” and said he would not open the North Sea to more oil drilling.

The comments came just two days after Keir Starmer announced on Monday, June 22, 2026, that he would step down as Labour leader and prime minister, setting off a succession contest around Burnham. Trump said he had previously told Starmer to “open up the North Sea,” a line that tied his remarks to energy policy as well as to the leadership race now taking shape inside Labour.

Darren Jones, a senior minister who had been viewed as a possible rival, later ruled out a leadership challenge and backed Burnham, making a contest less likely. Labour nominations for the next leader are due to open on July 9, 2026, and if Burnham is unopposed he could move into office by around July 16 or 17. Burnham’s team declined to comment on Trump’s remarks.

Burnham’s political profile has been built in Greater Manchester, where he was first elected mayor in May 2017 and re-elected in 2021. The role, created as part of English devolution, has given him a national platform to argue for greater regional powers and a bigger transfer of authority away from Westminster.

Burnham said in 2017 that he would refuse to meet Trump in Manchester “as a matter of principle,” and after the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol he posted that any UK politician who gave Trump the time of day should be ashamed.