{"text":[[{"start":11.16,"text":"Andy Burnham’s once-fervent criticisms of US President Donald Trump have been dismissed by a UK cabinet member as just “politics” as the two leaders prepare to meet for the first time in New York this week."}],[{"start":20.304,"text":"As mayor of Greater Manchester, Burnham said in 2021 in the wake of the Capitol riots that “any UK politician who gave Trump the time of day should be ashamed right now”, and has also previously described US politics as “poisonous”."}],[{"start":35.262,"text":"The UK prime minister is expected to meet Trump and other world leaders on the margins of the UN General Assembly on Tuesday amid hopes that common transatlantic interests and personal chemistry will overcome past differences."}],[{"start":56.56,"text":"Bridget Phillipson, women and equalities minister, referring to Burnham’s previous comments, said: “What you’ve just described there is politics. The president knows that. This is far from unique: people will express views at different points on different topics.”"}],[{"start":61.4,"text":"She told Sky News that this was no bar to having “a strong relationship”, which was crucial when it came to issues such as intelligence sharing, defence and supporting Ukraine in its war against Russia."}],[{"start":75.036,"text":"Lord Kim Darroch, a former UK ambassador to the US, predicted Burnham could strike a good relationship with Trump, who has fallen out with other European leaders including Italy’s Giorgia Meloni and Germany’s Friedrich Merz."}],[{"start":88.451,"text":"“Trump will want to take the measure of Andy Burnham,” he told the FT. “For Trump, personal chemistry is much more important than ideology.”"}],[{"start":98.52,"text":"The British side is anxious to ensure the meeting goes smoothly. In 2009, attempts to secure a meeting at the UN between former Labour prime minister Gordon Brown and US president Barack Obama led to a hurried 15-minute conversation in the UN kitchens."}],[{"start":111.903,"text":"Burnham has said he wants to press the case for the US to help Ukraine with air-defence systems, while the war in Iran and bilateral trade relations are expected to be raised with Trump by the prime minister."}],[{"start":124.56,"text":"In an attempt to prepare the ground for his meeting with Trump, Burnham hailed a deal between the US and Denmark to resolve their dispute over Greenland."}],[{"start":133,"text":"Burnham and his Danish counterpart Mette Frederiksen spoke on Sunday and “welcomed the US’s commitment to the region”, Downing Street said."}],[{"start":140.16,"text":"Darroch said that Trump was likely to raise issues with Burnham that he felt strongly about, such as immigration and whether the prime minister was going to approve new North Sea drilling for oil and gas."}],[{"start":148.76,"text":"Burnham is expected to delay any decision on whether to approve the Jackdaw and Rosebank projects until after next month’s Holborn and St Pancras by-election, where Labour is in a fight with Green Party leader Zack Polanski."}],[{"start":164.692,"text":"Darroch noted that if Burnham indicated he was minded to approve the projects, Trump might tell the US media, posing a potential diplomatic problem."}],[{"start":174.075,"text":"Other flashpoints could arise over Trump’s recent comments about UK sovereignty over the Falkland Islands, tensions over the joint US-UK air base at Diego Garcia and UK concerns over the war in the Middle East."}],[{"start":187.032,"text":"Burnham is also due to meet European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen in New York on Tuesday, a spokesperson for the EU executive arm said. They are preparing for an EU-UK summit this year."}],[{"start":199.141,"text":"Downing Street, which had explored the possibility of Burnham meeting Trump at the White House during his visit to the US, has yet to confirm the meeting in New York or what other bilateral meetings the prime minister might have during his brief visit to the General Assembly."}],[{"start":212.691,"text":"Trade relations between the UK and US have stabilised after Trump’s initial tariff onslaught against its partners, according to Duncan Edwards, chief executive of the BritishAmerican Business lobby group."}],[{"start":224.44,"text":"“Services trade between the US and UK continues to grow and physical trade has been remarkably resilient,” said Edwards. “Companies would prefer the tariffs weren’t there but they have been absorbed into business models and the impact is generally modest.”"}],[{"start":242.16,"text":"But on US investment into the UK, he added, “the natural advantages that the UK has historically had over its regional rivals are narrowing . . . the warning lights are flashing and the government should take note”."}],[{"start":250.24,"text":"Additional reporting by Andy Bounds in Brussels"}],[{"start":258.76,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1789959746_9111.mp3"}