Britain's new Prime Minister Andy Burnham "will always put Britain's interests first", he told the BBC in an interview when asked whether he was willing to call out U.S. President Donald Trump.
Burnham's predecessor Keir Starmer, who announced he was stepping down last month, had a fraught relationship with Trump due to differences over the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, immigration, energy and tech regulation.
While Trump initially described Starmer's successor as "extremely liberal", he said this week he had a "very good conversation" with Burnham, who became Britain's seventh prime minister in a decade on Monday.
In his first major interview since taking office, parts of which were released on Sunday, BBC journalist asked Burnham if he was willing to call out Trump if he thought it was the right thing to do.
"All leaders have to do that. You have to defend your own national interest before anything else. That's what you're required to do if you're to do this job properly," he said.
The prime minister also said he would not call a general election before 2029.
On Britain's national defence, Burnham said he was "absolutely committed" to what was promised to NATO partners. London has pledged to spend 3.5% of GDP on defence by 2035, in line with a new NATO target.
"The first challenge ... is to ensure that the defence investment plan is fully funded, and that's the thing that's right in front of us, and we need to work that through as we go towards the budget later this year," he said.
Burnham did not commit to the 2030 target in the interview.
When asked on Sunday, Wes Streeting, who was appointed defence secretary by Burnham last week, said any timetable for increasing defence spending was the decision of the finance minister.
"It's for the chancellor to set out, both at the budget and future spending reviews, how we will achieve 3.5% by 2035," he told Sky News.
The full interview with Burnham will air on the BBC's Panorama programme on Monday.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that he thinks there is a chance of a peace being reached with Ukraine. He told the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Russia that he believed there was "a chance of finding a solution," to the conflict.
U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will visit Russia then Ukraine over the weekend, Russian state news agency TASS has reported, citing an unnamed source. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has also said American envoys will visit the capitals of both countries.
The Iranian Health Ministry said at least 18 people were killed and 142 others injured in U.S. airstrikes carried out between 30 August and 2 September.
The Iranian Army has again struck at U.S. bases in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates in retaliation for U.S. attacks on southern and western parts of Iran late on Tuesday, which reportedly killed 18 people and injured more than 100 others.
U.S. efforts to squeeze Iran’s economy through an oil blockade and sanctions are becoming increasingly difficult for Tehran to withstand, according to three senior Iranian sources. Washington is escalating pressure in hopes of securing concessions in future negotiations.
U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have arrived in Moscow for peace talks on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, two people familiar with the matter said. They were met by Russian Presidential Envoy Kirill Dmitriev.
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The resolution, sponsored by African countries and led by Togo, passed by 164 votes to one, with six abstentions. The United States was the only country to vote against it.
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