Andy Burnham is set to face Donald Trump in person for the first time next week amid recent rows over the Falkland Islands and Northern Ireland.
The face-to-face talks are expected to take place on Tuesday while both leaders are in attendance at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Although the pair have not met in person, they spoke over the phone shortly after the Prime Minister replaced Sir Keir Starmer at No10 in July.
The US President described the call as “interesting”, and revealed that the two discussed North Sea oil, trade, the military alliance and the Strait of Hormuz.
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The Prime Minister will be hoping to make a better impression than his predecessor, with Washington insiders previously telling GB News that Mr Trump had been left “hurt and angry” over his rows with Sir Keir’s administration.
But he will be speaking to the Commander-in-Chief as the “special relationship” buckles under the strain of the President’s interventions on Britain’s sovereignty over the Falkland Islands and Irish unification.
Mr Trump confirmed the US was now reviewing its position on the South Atlantic territory and told GB News he will “settle” the dispute between Britain and Argentina after Buenos Aires vowed to establish sovereignty over the islands.
During a two-day visit to Dublin last week, the President said he would “love” to see unification of Ireland in a move that would break up the United Kingdom.
He admitted that the UK “might have something to say about that” but added that “It’s going to happen eventually”.
It is believed that talks had taken place for Mr Burnham to meet with Mr Trump in Washington around the UN General Assembly, but Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit had “wiped out the calendar”, a diplomatic source told The Times.
The President has so far avoided publicly admonishing the Prime Minister, describing him as a “very nice guy” during his trip to Ireland – but acknowledged that he was “on the liberal side, unfortunately”.
Mr Burnham had described the American leader as “really warm” during the pair’s phone call, but hinted at taking a more combative approach to the President than Sir Keir did during his stint in Downing Street.
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During an interview with Gary Lineker over the summer, the Prime Minister said “it’s about being yourself” and “respecting the office, the relationship, the UK-US relationship. Where you disagree, do it. But do it in a way that is kind of meeting him where he’s at.”
The face-to-face meeting next week comes as the UK looks to South America, with the Government announcing it will strengthen its diplomatic relations with a more pro-West Venezuela by appointing an ambassador to Caracas.
The Trump administration has been attempting to rally international support for the new Venezuelan Government following the capture of Nicolas Maduro in January.
Foreign Office Minister Chris Elmore told MPs on Tuesday: “Working closely with the United States and with international partners, the UK considers that this moment calls for pragmatic engagement to help advance a credible transition and to encourage further reforms.
“This decision is part of a broader international reengagement, in which key partners and multilateral institutions are also reestablishing or upgrading their relationships with Venezuela, based on a shared understanding that engagement, both constructive and challenging, is the best way to influence outcomes on the ground.”
It is unknown whether the Prime Minister and the President will discuss Britain’s fresh sanctions on Israel over its West Bank settlements, which sparked fury among a number of senior figures within Mr Trump’s party.
Although the White House did not condemn the UK’s measures, the President said he understood “exactly what’s going on” and wanted to “understand exactly why that’s happened”.
Despite the President’s warmness towards Mr Burnham up to now, he has issued a series of warnings to the Prime Minister over the most pressing challenges facing Britain.
After entering Downing Street, Mr Trump urged his British counterpart to get a grip on the migrant crisis “killing” the UK and adopt better policies towards energy.
He said: “When you look at the UK, they have one of the best energy fields in the world, North Sea oil… I spoke to him, and he sounded terrific on this subject. But you open it up, you’ll be a wealthy country.”
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