Donald Trump has said Andy Burnham is a man he can 'do business with', declaring that UK-US relations are 'more up now' following their first in-person bilateral meeting on Tuesday at the UN General Assembly in New York.

Asked by the BBC whether he could work with the Prime Minister, Mr Trump described Mr Burnham as a 'natural businessperson' and noted the two had spoken by telephone several times before the summit. Mr Burnham said the pair had established a 'good connection' during discussions covering trade, immigration, and the Falkland Islands, adding that he had told the US President it was time to 'turn the story' into a positive one after recent UK turbulence.

Despite the warm personal dynamic, Mr Trump reiterated his outspoken opposition to the UK's 'terrible' deal to hand sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago to Mauritius. The agreement, negotiated under Sir Keir Starmer to lease back the joint UK-US military base on Diego Garcia for 99 years at an average cost of £101 million annually, was paused indefinitely in April after Mr Trump withdrew American support.

Speaking to reporters alongside Mr Burnham, Mr Trump described Mauritian sovereignty claims as 'ridiculous' and stressed the base's strategic importance, particularly for US operations concerning Iran and past missions involving B-2 bombers. 'I think the prime minister is going to be looking at [the deal],' Mr Trump said.

Mr Burnham, who spoke with Mauritian Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam ahead of the trip, appeared to place responsibility on his predecessor. 'I inherited this situation and we need a resolution. It's critical to safeguard the future of the base, and that matters to us for security reasons, but also clearly to the United States as well,' he said.

Following the talks, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, who had directly lobbied the White House against the treaty, wrote on X: 'The Chagos deal is dead. Thank God.'

Relations between Washington and London had previously deteriorated under Sir Keir, particularly after he refused permission for UK bases to be used in initial US-Israel strikes on Iran, as well as facing criticism from Mr Trump for being 'too tough on Russia'. While Mr Trump suggested to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that Mr Burnham would be firmly on Kyiv's side, the Prime Minister used his UN address to condemn Vladimir Putin's Kremlin and criticise Russian information warfare directed at Britain.

Wider policy differences also featured in the bilateral talks, with Mr Trump continuing to urge the UK to expand North Sea oil and gas production instead of pursuing renewable energy targets. Separately, Mr Zelensky confirmed he had not secured US clearance to manufacture Patriot Interceptor missiles in Ukraine, though he remained open to an energy ceasefire if Moscow agreed to negotiate.

With the 81st General Assembly continuing, the discussions underline the delicate diplomatic line Mr Burnham must walk with Washington. I will be following this one — check back for updates.