What new UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said about Donald Trump

Andy Burnham is now officially the next prime minister of the UK, sparking questions about his possible approach to handling Donald Trump.

News of Burnham's appointment was confirmed by Buckingham Palace, via Sky News, which announced that King Charles invited Burnham to form a government, and Burnham accepted.

Burnham was the Mayor of Greater Manchester in the UK for nine years from 2017, before resigning from the position to stand in a by-election to the UK parliament.

After Burnham's victory in the by-election, former prime minister Keir Starmer confirmed he would be stepping down, opening up a leadership contest in the UK's governing Labour Party.

This required any would-be nominees to secure nominations from 20 percent of Labour MPs, which at the moment means 81 out of 403, to put themselves forward as a candidate, with members of the party then voting on the candidates.

But that final stage was rendered redundant as Burnham secured 349 MP nominations, making it impossible for any other would-be candidate to get the required number and effectively confirming him as the UK's next prime minister.

There are of course a lot of questions about the incoming occupant of 10 Downing Street, and one among them is how Burnham will handle the UK's relationship with the US, and in particular President Trump.

Andy Burnham has been confirmed as the UK Prime Minister (Alishia Abodunde/Getty Images)

One potential clue came during the campaign in the Makerfield by-election which saw Burnham return to parliament.

He alluded to the division and instability facing the US under Trump's second term in the White House.

Although his message may have been directed more towards domestic challenges in the UK, his words do give an impression that Burnham and Trump's diplomatic relationship may be strained.

"Politics is getting more polarized," Burnham said on June 13. "And the path we're on, if we are not careful, is a path towards the politics of the United States of America. A polarized, poisonous politics where people in communities don't work together anymore."

Burnham has also previously hit back at calls by Reform UK leader Nigel Farage to restructure the UK's National Health Service to be more like the US healthcare model.

"We don't want a US-style health system in this country," Burnham said.

Trump has criticized the policies of Burnham's predecessor Keir Starmer (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

It comes after Trump had strained relations with Starmer which appeared to change, with Trump describing Starmer as a 'lovely man', and 'sort of a friend of mine.

However, Trump was also highly critical of Starmer's policy, saying: “I wish him well, but he's got two problems: energy and immigration, and crime, but energy and immigration, you know, he's really hurt himself very, very badly."

This may potentially be a point where the two leaders find common ground.

The BBC previously reported that Burnham may announce plans to open new oil and gas licenses in the North Sea.

Trump even responded positively to the claims, posting on Truth Social: “The People of Aberdeen, in Scotland, are dancing in the streets because the new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, has stated that he will be opening up, all the way, the invaluable North Sea Oil!”

However, the Financial Times has since reported that Burnham intends to stick to the UK government's plans which bar any new licences being issued, leaving the contentious question with Trump open.