Historic undersea torpedo breakthrough unveiled as leaders meet at UN General Assembly
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Britain and the United States have made history by firing the first torpedo from an unmanned undersea drone, the government has revealed on the eve of Andy Burnham’s first meeting with Donald Trump.
In what has been described as a major boost for Western maritime security, the UK and US last week successfully conducted a historic live firing of a heavyweight torpedo – jointly developed by the US and Australia – designed to sink ships and deep diving submarines.
It is the first time either country had launched the weapon from an undersea uncrewed vessel, rather than a manned submarine.
The announcement came as the prime minister jetted off to New York for his first major international summit since taking office with a brief visit to the United Nations General Assembly.
As he left, Mr Burnham warned that “what happens abroad impacts each and every one of us at home.”
He is expected to use his 24 hours in the US to call for greater international co-operation on AI, close ties between UK and EU industry, help for Ukraine and an end to the conflict in the Middle East.
But it is his meeting with Mr Trump that will face the most scrutiny, after predecessor Sir Keir Starmer appeared to woo the president only to see the relationship deteriorate over tariffs and the war in Iran.
The two leaders have spoken only twice on the phone since Mr Burnham became Labour leader in June, discussing Ukraine and the Middle East.
Mr Trump has professed to know little about the PM, describing him as “the mayor of a town” and “liberal”.
Mr Burnham said in 2021 that “any politician who gave Trump the time of day should be ashamed right now”, although this weekend a minister dismissed that comment as “politics”.
Speaking to The Independent on his way to America, Mr Burnham said he is looking forward to meeting Mr Trump and described the UK-US special relationship "as strong as it's ever been".
The prime minister said he had "warm phone calls" previously with the US president, during which they had found "a lot of common ground and a connection".
Addressing his previous comments about Mr Trump, he said the focus should remain on the circumstances and issues facing them now.
But Britain’s former ambassador to the US, Lord Kim Darroch, who was in Washington when Trump was first elected in 2016, warned that “personal chemistry” is what is important for the President and told Mr Burnham not to expect to stick to the agenda.
“Trump just talks about what's on his mind, what's happened in the last 24 hours; what's going on in the world; what he thinks about anything from a big sporting event to whoever won the Oscars or that kind of thing. He quite likes a bit of banter, so Burnham needs to be quick on his feet and able to manage that kind of conversation.”
Mr Burnham has been warned that Trump is likely to ask about defence with his government failing to give a roadmap to spending the promised 3 per cent of GDP on the military.
But another veteran of UK- US relations, former foreign secretary Malcom Rifkind, suggested that he should bring up the Falklands after Mr Trump suggested he would not act to stop Argentina taking them back.
Offering his advice, Sir Malcolm said: “Be cool, humorous. Explicit support where Trump policy coincides with British interests. Robust where it does not. No excessive compliments.”
He added: “Remind Trump that the Falklands have been British longer than Alaska has been American and that Northern Ireland has as much entitlement to remain British as Florida has to remain American.”
However, sources in the US have said that the meeting is being overshadowed by the visit of China’s president Xi.
The prime minister will be hoping their first meeting sets the tone for a better working relationship, and will use the US visit to launch a new UK-US defence AI partnership.
Mr Burnham said: “We are at our strongest when we work with our partners to tackle the most complex shared challenges we face, driven by our values….
"That ambition is underlined in our new defence partnership with the United States on AI and autonomy, bringing together the brightest minds to strengthen the protection of critical infrastructure, deter those who threaten our security, and use the enormous potential of AI to our advantage.
"Our work together already shows what can be achieved when our two countries combine our expertise and innovation.
"This week I will be making the case for closer international cooperation on AI, a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, and renewed efforts to bring an end to the conflict in the Middle East because what happens abroad impacts each and every one of us at home.”
His emphasis on values could exacerbate a rift with the US, as it echoes the language he used earlier this month to describe sanctions on Israel, which were attacked by the Trump administration.
The PM defended his government’s ban on trade with illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank, telling MPs that Britain “must stand for something” in the face of condemnation from the US, with Mike Huckabee, the American ambassador to Israel, describing the move as “irrational”.
Mr Burnham also nodded to the influence of another Labour PM, Gordon Brown, who was praised for his global leadership during the 2008 global financial crash.
He said: “As we confront the opportunities and challenges posed by artificial intelligence, we will show that same leadership, ensuring rapidly changing technology is harnessed for good to make our countries safer and stronger.”
The new AI defence partnership is designed to protect critical national infrastructure, including sea lanes and air space, by detecting threats and deterring enemies.
It will build on technology already being developed with the US and Australia through a partnership known as Aukus, which is already working on a new fleet of state of the art attack submarines.
In New York, the PM will also confirm that, when the UK hosts G20 leaders next year, the summit will be held in Manchester – the city where he was mayor until this summer. Officials insisted the decision had been made earlier this year, before Mr Burnham took office.
He will also co-host an event on a two-state solution in Israel and Palestine with ministers from France, Canada and Saudi Arabia.
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