Prime Minister Andy Burnham held his first meeting with US President Donald Trump at the UN General Assembly. British officials, including Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband and national security adviser Jonathan Powell, reportedly expressed relief following the talks.
President Trump described Mr Burnham as a "natural businessperson" with "lots of assets on his side," predicting he would be a "great" leader. This aligns with a known strategy President Trump reportedly uses when meeting other world leaders, which includes personal flattery and public evaluation of his guest's skills.
British officials stated that President Trump kept policy differences with the UK muted, with the exception of criticism regarding the "terrible" Chagos deal. The issue of the West Bank settlement trade ban, which officials had reportedly worried about, saw President Trump defer to Mr Burnham.
One official described the outcome as "the top end of our expectations," noting that issues such as the Falklands and a united Ireland were "all fine."