Burnham talks football and Strait of Hormuz in first call with Donald Trump

Andy Burnham has held his first call with Donald Trump as prime minister, congratulating the US president on a “successful World Cup” and floating a future presidential visit to Manchester.

The call took place on Monday afternoon, shortly after Burnham was appointed prime minister by King Charles at Buckingham Palace following Keir Starmer’s resignation.

According to a readout issued by No 10 Downing Street, the new prime minister opened the conversation on football, with the United States having co-hosted the World Cup that concluded in New York on Sunday.

A Downing Street spokesperson said: “The prime minister began by congratulating the president on a successful World Cup and agreed that England had an excellent tournament.”

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England finished third at the tournament, their best World Cup result in 60 years, beating France 6-4 in Saturday’s bronze final after a semi-final defeat to Argentina.

The spokesperson added: “The prime minister also hoped that he would be able to show the president what Manchester had to offer during a visit in the future.”

Burnham, who served as mayor of Greater Manchester for nine years before returning to the House of Commons in last month’s Makerfield by-election, used the call to set out his domestic agenda to the president.

The spokesperson said: “Setting out his vision as prime minister of the United Kingdom, the prime minister said he would be focused on ensuring reindustrialisation up and down the country to ensure good growth in every postcode.”

The readout continued: “The prime minister also underlined his commitment to defence and security and said ensuring the security of the UK and its Allies was at the top of his agenda.

“The president then updated on the situation in the Middle East, and the prime minister outlined the UK’s commitment to securing the movement of shipping in the Strait of Hormuz to support global supply chains and drive down costs for businesses and families across the country.

“They looked forward to speaking again soon.”

Burnham used his first speech as prime minister outside No 10 to promise to “make this moment a circuit breaker for Britain” before beginning a sweeping cabinet reshuffle that has seen Rachel Reeves, David Lammy and Steve Reed leave government.

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