Prime Minister Andy Burnham says he will call out President Donald Trump if defending the United Kingdom’s national interests requires it.
“If it’s right for the UK, I’ll be willing to call [Trump] out. It’s the right thing for every leader to do,” Mr Burnham stated in an interview with the BBC on Monday. “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.”
Mr Burnham, who noted that he found Mr Trump “warm” in their first exchange, said he would definitely voice a different idea as long as it is in the UK’s interest.
“It’s a changing world, isn’t it? And you just obviously have to call things as they develop. I can’t at any point say that I won’t take a different opinion from him (Mr Trump), that I will need to voice a different idea that is right for Britain,” the new UK leader stated.
The UK PM stated that he had expressed “concern” about Mr Trump starting the war with Iran, adding he “wouldn’t hold back from saying what I think is right”.
Mr Burnham’s statement came amid the ongoing U.S.-Iran war. Days ago, the British government said it would defend itself after Iran announced that the UK bases used by the U.S. would be considered legitimate targets for its attacks.
Since the war started, the UK has allowed the U.S. to launch attacks from the bases, while refraining from participating in the military offensives.
