Andy Burnham and Donald Trump Andy Burnham has been urged to “stand up” to Donald Trump ahead of his first face-to-face with the US president next week. World leaders will gather at the United Nations’ General Assembly in New York – and there’s growing anticipation for how the UK prime minister will deal with the mercurial American leader. Burnham previously criticised Trump when he was the mayor of Greater Manchester, insisting the divisive figure would not be welcome in his city due to his “poisonous politics”. But the PM seems much keener on maintaining the UK-US special relationship since getting into No.10. In August, Burnham said: “I’ve had a habit of saying what I feel over the years, and I’ll continue to do that. But, at the same time, I am somebody who works with people, tries to find common ground.” However, Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey told Sky News over the weekend that the prime minister should stand up to Trump, whom he describes as a “destructive demagogue”. “If you look at how he’s behaved, he has even got worse. The Iran war is hurting America, hurting our country, hurting the whole world. This has been a disaster,” Davey said. “And the problem with Mr Trump is unless you stand up to him, he rolls you over.” He said Canadian prime minister Mark Carney – who is currently locked in a trade war with Trump – was a good example for Burnham to follow. “He [Trump] may not like being called out, but he has to be called out,” Davey said. However, equalities minister Bridget Phillipson suggested that was not the route Burnham was going to go down, telling Sky News that “politics is about being pragmatic”. When reminded of Burnham’s past attacks on Trump, she said: “Look, I think what you’ve just described there is politics. “The president knows that, this is... far from unique. “And people will express views at different points on different topics. And that’s no bar to having a strong relationship.” Phillipson continued: “Politics is also about being pragmatic, and it’s also about being rooted in what’s best for the country. “And what is best for our country is having a relationship with the US where we can engage in that defence intelligence sharing, where we can have a strong relationship on lots and lots of areas, whether that’s on the economy as well. “Does that mean we always agree on everything? No. Again, that’s what I mean about it being politics.” Despite belittling the ex-Manchester mayor by describing him as a “liberal” and a “mayor of a town” before he became prime minster, Trump has not yet publicly criticised Burnham’s premiership. Burnham has already spoken to Trump over the phone at least twice – once shortly after he was sworn into office and another time when announcing his plan to sanction Israeli settlers in the West Bank. Trump remained surprisingly silent over the PM’s plan to punish the US ally over its treatment of Palestinians. It’s a harmonious start to their relationship and a stark contrast to the way the president publicly slammed Keir Starmer during his final months in office. Trump said the then-PM was “no Winston Churchill” after he refused to get directly involved in the Iran war. Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster. Related... Trump Official Drops Chilling Accusation Against News Outlets Covering President Donald Trump Triggers Fresh US-UK Row By Saying He'd 'Love' To See United Ireland 'Absolutely Vile': Donald Trump Slammed For Urging Ukraine To Ease Up On Russian Attacks