Washington, 21 July (H.S.): US President Donald Trump has held discussions with newly appointed UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham on key issues including trade, military cooperation, North Sea energy resources, and efforts to restore security in the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump described his conversation with Burnham as very good and said the two leaders discussed several areas of mutual interest. In a post on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump said the discussion covered North Sea Oil, Trade, the Military Alliance, Demining of the Hormuz Strait, and many other topics.

The US President added that he would meet Burnham in person in the not too distant future to continue discussions on bilateral and international issues. However, he did not provide details about the timing or location of the proposed meeting.

Burnham became Britain's seventh prime minister in the past decade after taking charge of the government on Monday. He has pledged to introduce a new economic approach and address public concerns over political instability and repeated changes in leadership.

According to Burnham's office, he assured President Trump that the United Kingdom remains committed to strengthening defence and security cooperation with the United States. He also expressed support for ensuring the safe reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial global energy route that has faced disruption amid escalating tensions in the region.

Relations between Trump and former British Prime Minister Keir Starmer had witnessed differences over several issues, including the US-Israel conflict with Iran, immigration policies, energy decisions, and technology regulations. Tensions also emerged after Britain initially declined a US request to use British military bases for strikes against Iran, though Starmer later approved access.

Last month, Trump had said he was not very familiar with Burnham and described him as extremely liberal, while expressing doubts about whether his government would expand oil drilling activities in the North Sea.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar