Burnham set for No 10: BBC correspondents on what Trump, Putin and others will make of him

Image source, AP Published 23 minutes ago Andy Burnham is set to be the UK's next prime minister. BBC correspondents in Europe, Russia, Ukraine and Asia reflect on what world leaders make of a Burnham premiership. US: Burnham has opportunity to win over Trump By Anthony Zurcher North America correspondent So far, Donald Trump has been fairly dismissive when it comes to Burnham. He seems unconvinced that a Burnham premiership will address his two biggest criticisms of Starmer's government: its policies on immigration and drilling in the North Sea oil field. US administration officials, for instance, view the possibility of Ed Miliband being named chancellor of the exchequer as evidence that British environmental policy will remain unchanged, given his ban on new North Sea oil and gas drilling licences as energy secretary. Sir Keir and Trump had a surprisingly warm relationship from the start of the American president's second term. For now, Trump seems to know little of Burnham beyond his being a "mayor of a town" and suspecting that he is "extremely liberal". Beneath the surface, however, US officials are already pressuring the Burnham team to form a government to their liking. While they have the aforementioned concerns about Miliband, they are hoping for continuity in British foreign policy leadership, which includes keeping Yvette Cooper on as foreign secretary Image source, AFP via Getty Images Although the UK under Starmer has boosted its defence spending, Trump – and top US security officials – want the British to set an even higher example for the rest of Europe. The tensions over US access to British military bases during the Iran War are still simmering as well. Burnham being a relative unknown in the US poses both risk and opportunity for him once he moves into 10 Downing Street. The opportunity is that, with a proper charm offensive, Burnham - like Starmer - could win Trump over in spite of their political differences. The risk is that, given political pressures in both countries, those differences – on issues like military spending, digital service taxes, energy extraction, international conflicts and trade - could end up defining their relationship well before a personal connection has a chance to form. China: A sense of frustration at more political change By Laura Bicker China correspondent Burnham once pointed to China's high-speed rail network as a model for the North of England. In 2018, he appeared open to what China could offer at a regional level. As prime minister, the calculation is more complicated. Any relationship with Beijing now has to be judged against both economic benefit and national security risks as British intelligence services continue to raise concerns about spying, threats to Chinese nationals in the UK and intellectual property theft. Starmer took a broadly pragmatic approach, seeking to balance those competing interests and becoming the first UK prime minister in eight years to visit Beijing. The ques