Burnham Rules Out Early UK Election, Vows To Challenge Trump If Needed

According to Lianhe Zaobao, Britain’s new Prime Minister Burnham said he does not plan to call an early general election before 2029 and would be willing to publicly criticize U.S. President Donald Trump if necessary to defend Britain’s national interests. In an interview with the BBC, Burnham said he would “rule out” the possibility of an early vote because he believes voters do not want one, adding that he is focused on getting the country “back on track.” Burnham replaced Starmer as UK prime minister last week. The BBC reported that Burnham did not say when the government would commit to spending 3% of GDP on defense, while he and Finance Minister Healy face the challenge of ensuring the defense investment plan is adequately funded in this year’s budget. Burnham also said he would not hesitate to criticize U.S. leaders over the Iran war, and said he was concerned about Trump’s role in starting the conflict, although he had described Trump as “very warm” in their first exchange.