Donald Trump has weighed in on Andy Burnham as the former Greater Manchester mayor and newly elected Labour MP for Makerfield emerges as the frontrunner to replace Keir Starmer, just days after the US president renewed his criticism of the outgoing Prime Minister.
Starmer announced on Monday, June 22, that he would step down as Labour leader and remain in place as caretaker prime minister until the party chooses a successor. He said nominations for the leadership would open on July 9, with the process likely running into mid-July if a contest is required.
The resignation has triggered one of the biggest upheavals in British politics since Labour won power in 2024. Burnham, who returned to Westminster last week after winning the Makerfield by-election, has quickly become the leading figure in the race, with no other serious challenger yet having matched his momentum.
Trump had already used Starmer’s resignation to criticise Britain’s energy policy, saying the UK had “really hurt himself, very very badly”.
When asked for his view on Burnham, Trump appeared only loosely familiar with him.
“I don’t know, I think I see that he was, I guess, the mayor of a town.”
Trump then suggested Burnham’s politics could affect energy policy.
“I hear he’s extremely liberal, extremely, so that means he probably won’t open up the North Sea,” he added.
Burnham has previously made his feelings about Trump clear. Earlier this month, he described American politics as ‘polarised’ and ‘poisonous’.
His criticism of Trump stretches back years. In 2017, he told the Manchester Evening News that he would ‘refuse to meet the President out of principle’ if Trump visited the city.
Then, in 2021, after the riots at the US Capitol, Burnham wrote on X, formerly Twitter:
“Any UK politician who gave Trump the time of day should be ashamed right now.”
According to the BBC, Burnham’s team declined to respond to Trump’s latest remarks.
While discussing Burnham, Trump also returned to his criticism of Starmer and said he had offered him advice on energy.
“I gave Keir Starmer some pretty good advice,” the 80-year-old POTUS said. “I said open up the North Sea.”
“‘Go to Aberdeen, which was the hottest city in the whole continent. It was the oil city, it was the oil of Europe.
“And they closed everything, it was terrible,” the President claimed.
“I saw it before my eyes and I couldn’t believe it. The North Sea is loaded.”
Trump made those remarks during a meeting with NATO secretary-general Mark Rutte.
His comments came amid wider talks about defence spending and tensions between Washington and European allies ahead of the NATO summit in Ankara on July 7 and 8, where Starmer is expected to attend if he remains in office at that point.
Earlier in the week, Trump also criticised Starmer over NATO and the Chagos Islands, saying the Prime Minister had “hurt himself badly” on those issues as well.
There is still no confirmed date for when Britain’s next prime minister will be chosen. If no other Labour candidate secures the necessary backing, Burnham could be installed quickly after nominations open on July 9. If a contest does emerge, the final decision may not come until later in the summer.