Six key speaking factors from Andy Burnham’s UN speech as PM declares ‘rely on us’
Andy Burnham declared ‘Britain is back’ in his first UN speech as PM, accusing Russian agencies of disinformation and saying the UK is developing an AI defence partnership with the US.
Burnham spoke for 21 minutes(Image: Getty)
In his inaugural speech to the UN, Andy Burnham championed Britain’s role in global politics for the years ahead – assuring world leaders they can ‘count on us’.
In a comprehensive address, the new Prime Minister launched a scathing critique of Russia, unveiled a fresh international security pact with the US mere hours after meeting Donald Trump, reiterated calls for a two-state resolution in the Middle East, and introduced two significant domestic policies.
The summit in New York marked Burnham’s first major trial as an international diplomat since assuming the role of Prime Minister in July. Over the past few hours, he has held meetings with numerous world leaders for the first time, including Donald Trump, and used his 21-minute speech to outline his vision for British diplomatic leadership.
Here are the six key takeaways from Andy Burnham’s maiden speech to the UN.
Burnham’s speech was seen as hir first major international test(Image: Getty)
Burnham lambasts Russia: “Insidious campaign”
Once Burnham took to the podium and briefly touched upon Brexit, it swiftly became apparent who the antagonist of his speech would be: Russia.
He proceeded to launch a fierce attack on Kremlin interference in British affairs, all while Putin’s delegation looked on.
The PM stated: “Russian agencies have used every means at their disposal to spread lies and disinformation and prey on people’s fear.
“They’ve used bots and fake websites. Falsified newspaper articles. Forged the branding of 28 British organisations – including universities and the BBC. They’ve amplified far-right narratives.
“And we have evidence that they tried to interfere with the 2019 General Election.”
He further stated that Putin’s government spends ‘£1.3 billion’ on ‘manipulating information’.
“We also know that they have tried to stoke tensions and unrest in the wake of horrific events,” Burnham went on. “The idea that anyone would try to use such things to their advantage is just repulsive – but it is what they do.”
Russia has previously faced allegations of using unlawfully obtained documents about UK-US trade talks in an attempt to sway the 2019 election.
Alarmingly, the Russian delegation displayed little emotion when Burnham levelled these accusations at them.
New ‘National Centre for Information Defence’ to be established
Switching from his assault on Russia, Burnham unveiled one of two new domestic policies highlighted in his speech. He is setting up a new National Centre for Information Defence tasked with combating online falsehoods and deepfakes that harm British interests.
The new unit will initially be led from the Office for the Prime Minister and Cabinet, with the new centre collaborating with intelligence agencies, government departments, the police and social media companies.
After highlighting the ‘insidious campaign’ orchestrated by the Kremlin, Burnham said the new unit will be necessary as ‘AI will multiply the threat’ already posed by malicious actors online.
Burnham set to reveal ’10 year plan for Britain’
Burnham and Trump met for the first time hours before the speech(Image: Getty)
The new government is poised to reveal a fresh decade-long strategy for the nation later this year, Burnham disclosed for the first time at the UN.
It will concentrate on getting more people into employment – particularly young people – and alleviating the cost-of-living squeeze for most people, Burnham said, though he stopped short of announcing any specific policies at the time.
Nevertheless, it seems Burnham is presenting this new strategy as an answer to insecurity. He declared ‘security starts in every home’, and he maintains that getting more people into employment makes them less vulnerable to being deceived by misinformation online.
He said: “Part of the challenge is to lift our people up and create the opportunities they need. When inequalities grow too wide, our societies are at greater risk.
“So we will work to make life more affordable for people. That will be at the heart of a new 10 year plan for Britain that we will bring forward later in the year.”
UK signs AI deal with US as Burnham pitches Britain as ‘honest broker’
Just hours after his inaugural meeting with Donald Trump, Burnham unveiled a fresh national security agreement with the US as part of a portion of his speech which addressed AI concerns.
He told delegates: “I am announcing today that we are developing a new AI defence partnership with the United States to protect our critical national infrastructure.”
Specifics of the agreement remain under wraps. Burnham continued to say that, as ‘AI will also be a source of disruption to the way we live and work’, he wants the UK to act as an ‘honest broker’ to establish ‘a single set of global principles and standards’ for the development of pioneering AI.
Britain’s Prime Minister Andy Burnham is escorted to the podium (Image: AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Two-state solution must remain viable for Gaza
As his speech began to wind down, Burnham shifted his focus to the Middle East, and reiterated calls for a two-state solution in Gaza.
He denounced Hamas’ 2023 attack on Israel as ‘utterly horrific’, but then said of Israel’s response in the years since: “Far too many people have died, including so many children. Far too little aid is getting in, and it has gone on for far too long.”
That was why the UK ‘prohibited trading goods with illegal settlements, acknowledged the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territory is unlawful, and sanctioned those participating in the construction of illegal settlements’ earlier this month, he said. But Burnham looked ahead and stated the two-state solution must ‘remain viable’.
He added: “We want to see the suffering and death finally come to an end. We want to see Israeli and Palestinian people living side by side in peace and security. And we will do all we can to keep the hope of that possibility alive.”
‘Britain is back… count on us’
Burnham’s initial move was to tell the world ‘Britain is back’ – and after 20 minutes, he clarified that meant global politicians can ‘count on us’ in the coming years.
He wrapped up his address by stating: “You can count on us to stand up for those long standing British values of fairness and justice.
“Count on us to fight racism, discrimination and the abuse of power wherever we see it. Count on us to bring people together.
“Count on us to meet fear and division with unity and hope.”
