The ink was barely dry on Andy Burnham's appointment as prime minister when the first cracks appeared in the special relationship. On 20 July 2026, barely 24 hours after Keir Starmer stepped down, Burnham named Ed Miliband as foreign secretary. Within hours, the White House made its feelings known.
Senior Trump administration officials had already warned Burnham's team against the move during private talks before the leadership change, as The Telegraph reported. The objections centre on Miliband's long record of pushing net zero policies that clash head-on with Donald Trump's push for expanded fossil fuel production and energy dominance.
A consultant who works with both the White House and State Department put it bluntly, describing Miliband as an 'unreasonable net zero extremist who would block North Sea oil,' according to The Independent. That is not diplomatic language. It is a warning that ideology could now complicate practical cooperation on energy, trade and defence.
Friction from day one
A senior White House source called the appointment a point of friction in the transatlantic relationship. Trump himself posted on Truth Social about his conversation with Burnham, covering North Sea oil, trade and military alliance. The subtext was clear: Washington expects Britain to prioritise reliable energy and hard security over green targets that have already driven up bills and left the UK more dependent on imports.
Miliband wasted no time setting out his stall. He said he would seek to deepen ties with the European Union, keep close links with the United States, uphold Nato and UN commitments, and press ahead with tackling the climate crisis. The order of priorities tells its own story. Climate activism sits comfortably alongside Nato in his worldview. For many watching from Washington, that reads like a willingness to subordinate energy security and sovereignty to supranational climate agendas.
Britain cannot afford such luxury. North Sea reserves matter for jobs, for bills and for strategic independence. Blocking further development in the name of net zero hands leverage to hostile states and raises the cost of keeping the lights on. Miliband's record as energy secretary showed exactly where his instincts lie. The White House has noticed.
