British Prime Minister Burnham meets Trump and promotes EU trade and global AI rules

Great Britain's head of government wants to strengthen the relationship between London and Washington again. At the same time, he is promoting trade facilitation with the EU and global AI rules.

Andy Burnham (l.) and Donald Trump on Tuesday in New York: The British Prime Minister meets the US President in person for the first time on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. Photo: Getty Images via AFP

London. The new British Prime Minister Andy Burnham's first major trip abroad is marked by geopolitical rapprochement. During his meeting with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in New York, Burnham tried to calm the tensions between Washington and London that the Iran war has sparked.

Shortly afterwards, the Briton wanted to get the stalled restart of relations back on track in a conversation with the head of the EU Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. London and Brussels have postponed a summit meeting originally planned for the summer several times because they have not yet been able to agree on industrial exports and youth exchanges.

The main dispute is over the planned industrial law “Industrial Accelerator Act” (IAA), with which the EU Commission wants to protect European industry against state-sponsored low-cost competition from China, but which could also affect the non-EU member Great Britain.

Brits don't want to be left out

According to Burnham, the British Kingdom runs the risk of suffering “collateral damage” as a result of this policy. He urges that British companies are not excluded from this “Made in Europe” initiative. Otherwise, future car manufacturers manufactured in Great Britain would not have access to EU aid such as subsidies for more environmentally friendly company fleets. They would also be excluded from public procurement.

“Despite Brexit, supply chains are still closely interconnected,” said Mike Hawes, head of the British car lobby Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). According to the association, the trade volume between Great Britain and mainland Europe amounts to 80 billion euros per year. Analysis carried out by think tank Oxford Economics on behalf of SMMT estimates that UK car production generates €24 billion in economic activity across the EU. The British are therefore also supported by the European automobile manufacturers association ACEA.

Foreign trade

China calls on EU to be less protectionist

Unless the EU gives in, Burnham is apparently not prepared to approve the exchange program for young adults that has already been negotiated. The EU wants around 100,000 Europeans from member states to be able to work and study in Great Britain on a temporary basis every year. They should not pay higher tuition fees than British students.

The British Prime Minister emphasized in New York that he was ready to “take the next step and reach a concrete agreement.” An agreement on the industrial law, alongside the EU's demands on the mobility of young people, is the “core of the summit”.

Burnham did not want to rule out making Britain's return to the EU a key Labor Party demand in the next election campaign. However, that is a topic for another day. At the moment his focus is on a summit between Great Britain and the EU.

In his first meeting with Trump, Burnham urged the US president to continue support for Ukraine in its war with Russia. The traditionally close relations between London and Washington, which have suffered considerably as a result of the Iran war, are also about new rapprochement and stabilization.

Burnham's predecessor, Keir Starmer, initially refused the US military support for his campaign against the mullahs' regime and incurred Trump's displeasure for doing so. However, this week Britain provided military aid to Saudi Arabia, which is engaged in a military conflict with the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen. “We’re ready to do our part,” Burnham said.

Global AI rules are coming onto the G20 agenda

In addition, the British Prime Minister in New York promoted global rules for the safe development of artificial intelligence (AI). Warnings from AI company insiders “made him think,” Burnham said. However, he stressed that he was determined to find a "happy medium" to balance the technology's benefits against its risks, and not become a "doomsday prophet of AI."

Related topics

European UnionGreat BritainDonald TrumpArtificial Intelligence

Trump had dismissed possible risks of the technology as a “hoax”. Great Britain will take over the presidency of the 20 largest industrialized and emerging countries (G20) next year and has announced that it will make dealing with AI the central topic of the British presidency.

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