Trump says relations between US and UK better under Burnham than Starmer as pair meet for first time

The US President made the swipe at former PM Sir Keir as he met Mr Burnham for the first time at the UN in New York.Put to him by a reporter that UK-US relations have been up and down, Trump replied: "No I think they're up."“Well they're more up now than they were with your last prime minister, let me put it that way."He added: "But no, I think right now, based on my relationship with the prime minister, Andy, I think that, I think we're doing very well."Mr Burnham said he and Trump had "established a good connection" as they spoke to the press together after their meeting.Trump called Mr Burnham a "natural business person" who "gets it" and "understands what he had to do".But Trump did tell Mr Burnham the UK’s agreement with Mauritius to hand over the Chagos Islands was a “terrible deal”. Andy Burnham and President Donald Trump shake hands as they meet at the UNPA“Somebody [Mauritius] has ownership that never showed up before after decades and centuries. I think it’s ridiculous.”He said the islands are “strategically very important” and that Mr Burnham is going to be looking at it.”Under a deal signed by Sir Keir, Britain is set to cede sovereignty of the Indian Ocean territory while keeping the joint US-UK Diego Garcia military base.It will also see UK taxpayers pay Mauritius tens of billions of pounds to lease back the base.Mr Burnham said last night he was committed to finding a “resolution” to push the deal over the line.Mr Trump also ducked a potential flashpoint with Mr Burnham over the Prime Minister’s decision to sanction Israeli goods produced in the occupied West Bank.Read MoreAsked for his view of the sanctions, Donald Trump said: "I don't know about the move."Mr Burnham said he took the decision because of an Israeli government “tender to put settlements on the West Bank, that in effect, make a two state solution non-viable”.