Political situation in the UK

Burnham prepares to deal with Trump: “Unpredictable”

Andy Burnham is preparing not only to become Britain’s next prime minister on Monday – but also to deal with Donald Trump. The Washington Post reports.

– Trump is clearly an ally and not a security threat. But the combination of his unpredictability and his power means he is definitely a factor to be prepared for in a way that was not necessary with previous presidents, a Labour Party official told the newspaper.

Keir Starmer used flattery as a tactic when he met the US president, but it has not been popular with the British.

Burnham is expected to push the same issues as Starmer, at least initially, an insider told the Washington Post. These include continued support for Ukraine, containing Russia and deepening economic and military ties with countries in Europe.

First decision: Scrap the plan for digital ID cards

One of Andy Burnham's first decisions as Prime Minister on Monday is expected to be to scrap Keir Starmer's plans to introduce digital ID cards. The Guardian writes.

It is part of the re-prioritization that is planned in order to, among other things, create distance from his predecessor.

The digital ID cards have been met with resistance and almost three million Britons signed a petition to stop the proposal because it was considered to lead to mass surveillance.

- This means that all the time and resources that were allocated for a national ID system will instead be used where they are needed most, for example to help people with the rising cost of living, Burnham's spokesperson told the newspaper.

However, there is no figure on how much money the government would save by scrapping the proposal because there was no budget yet.