The new Prime Minister used his 21-minute speech to the UN in New York – seen by many as his first major international diplomacy test – to address a huge range of issues
Andy Burnham gave a wide-ranging first speech to the UN where he attacked Russia, called for Middle East peace, announced new policies, and promised world leaders they can ‘count on us’.
Burnham’s mission to the UN headquarters in New York was seen as his first major test in international diplomacy, only being named Prime Minister eight weeks ago. In his trip across the Atlantic, the PM has done marathon meet-and-greets, rubbing shoulders with global figures like Donald Trump, Ursula von der Leyen, and Anthony Albanese before taking to the general assembly stage.
His 21-minute-long speech saw the PM launch a blistering attack on Russia, announce a new security deal with the US on AI, repeat calls for a two-state solution in the Middle East, and launch two major domestic policies. These are the six things we learned from Andy Burnham ’s first speech to the UN.
Burnham slams Russia’s ‘insidious campaign’
It did not take long to see who the villain of his speech was going to be: Russia. He launched a scathing attack on Kremlin interference in British affairs as Putin’s delegation watched on.
The PM said: “Russian agencies have used every means at their disposal to spread lies and disinformation and prey on people’s fear. They’ve used bots and fake websites. Falsified newspaper articles. Forged the branding of 28 British organisations – including universities and the BBC.
“They’ve amplified far-right narratives. And we have evidence that they tried to interfere with the 2019 General Election.”
He added Putin’s government spends ‘£1.3 billion’ on ‘manipulating information’.
“We also know that they have tried to stoke tensions and unrest in the wake of horrific events,” Burnham continued. “The idea that anyone would try to use such things to their advantage is just repulsive – but it is what they do.”
Russia has previously been accused of using illicitly acquired documents about UK-US trade talks to try to influence the 2019 contest. Chillingly, the Russian delegation showed little emotion when Burnham put these charges to them.
New ‘National Centre for Information Defence’ planned
Burnham moved from his attack on Russia to announcing two policies to combat disinformation from Moscow. The ‘architecture’ for doing so is creating a new National Centre for Information Defence that will tackle online lies and deepfakes damaging British interests, he said.
The new unit is initially being led out of the Office for the Prime Minister and Cabinet, with the new centre working alongside intelligence agencies, government departments, the police and social media companies. After raising the ‘insidious campaign’ orchestrated by the Kremlin, Burnham said the new unit will be necessary as ‘AI will multiply the threat’ already posed by bad actors online.
Burnham to unveil ‘10 year plan for Britain’
The second anti-disinformation policy comes in the form of a new decade-long plan for the country set to be revealed later this year, Burnham added.
The plan will focus on getting more people into work — especially young people — and easing the cost-of-living crisis for most people, he said, but he did not announce any specific measures on-stage. It appears Burnham is selling this new plan as a response to insecurity.
He said ‘security starts in every home’, and he believes getting more people in work means they are less susceptible to falling foul of misinformation online. He said: “Part of the challenge is to lift our people up and create the opportunities they need. When inequalities grow too wide, our societies are at greater risk.
“So we will work to make life more affordable for people. That will be at the heart of a new 10 year plan for Britain that we will bring forward later in the year.”
AI deal with US agreed as Burnham pitches UK as ‘honest broker’
Just hours after first meeting Donald Trump, Burnham announced a new national security deal with the US as part of a section of his address which touched on AI fears. He told delegates: “I am announcing today that we are developing a new AI defence partnership with the United States to protect our critical national infrastructure.”
Details of the deal have not been revealed. In a long section on AI, Burnham went on to say that ‘AI will also be a source of disruption to the way we live and work’, so he wants the UK to act as an ‘honest broker’ to draw up ‘a single set of global principles and standards’ for the development of frontier AI.
Two-state solution must stay ‘alive’ for Gaza
As his speech began to end, Burnham turned his attention to the Middle East, and renewed calls for a two-state solution in Gaza.
He condemned Hamas’ 2023 attack on Israel as ‘utterly horrific’, but then said of Israel’s response in the years since: “Far too many people have died, including so many children. Far too little aid is getting in, and it has gone on for far too long.”
That was why the UK ‘banned trading goods with illegal settlements, recognised the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territory is unlawful, and sanctioned those taking part in the construction of illegal settlements’ earlier this month, he said. But Burnham looked to the future and said the two-state solution must ‘stay alive’.
He added: “We want to see the suffering and death finally come to an end. We want to see Israeli and Palestinian people living side by side in peace and security. And we will do all we can to keep the hope of that possibility alive.”
‘Britain is back… count on us’
Burnham’s opening gambit was to tell the world ‘Britain is back’ — and after 20 minutes, he clarified what that meant. World leaders can ‘count on’ the UK in the years to come, he said.
He concluded his speech by saying: “You can count on us to stand up for those long standing British values of fairness and justice.
“Count on us to fight racism, discrimination and the abuse of power wherever we see it. Count on us to bring people together.
“Count on us to meet fear and division with unity and hope.”
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