The intended message is not subtle. The prime minister’s official spokesperson said Burnham would use the meeting with Trump “to advance U.K. interests,” adding: “The British people at home are at the forefront of the Prime Minister’s mission in New York this week, because to deliver at home, we must ensure we’re leading international efforts to brighten a darkening global picture.”
Instead of jettisoning international summits, Burnham is largely attending them like Starmer did — albeit briefly (he will barely spend 24 hours in New York).
One difference is that rather than going abroad for bilateral meetings, Burnham is inviting foreign leaders for mini-breaks in the various corners of the U.K.
He attended an Everton football match with Carney in Liverpool, invited Ireland’s leader Micheál Martin to his “No. 10 North” in Manchester, took French President Emmanuel Macron to see an exhibition of the Bayeux Tapestry, welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the naval city of Portsmouth and met NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte in Oxford.
These inward visits mean Burnham can stick to “speed-dating” at multilateral summits, which take up less time and consume less political energy, explained one person with knowledge of the planning who was granted anonymity to speak frankly.
Yet he is still riding both horses — trying to take the lead on global affairs while facing a domestic audience.
