UK's Burnham names Trump critic Ed Miliband foreign secretary as ex-Thatcher aide brands pick 'disastrous'

Ed Miliband's return to Britain's top diplomatic table is drawing a sharp reaction from allies of President Donald Trump, who warn the appointment could put fresh strain on the U.S.-U.K. relationship at a delicate moment.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham named Miliband as foreign secretary on Monday, installing the former Labour Party leader in the role previously held by Yvette Cooper. For Miliband, the move caps a notable political resurrection: he led Labour from 2010 until the party's 2015 election loss, and most recently served as energy security and net zero secretary under former Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

He now becomes the British government's principal point of contact with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, even as Burnham works to keep the transatlantic partnership on steady ground. The two leaders spoke by phone shortly after Burnham took office, a conversation in which they reaffirmed the importance of the bilateral relationship, according to Reuters.

That relationship, however, is already showing cracks. According to the Daily Telegraph, Trump administration officials had privately urged Burnham's team against giving Miliband a senior post. Steve Bannon, Trump's former White House chief strategist and a continued political ally, told the newspaper the administration considered the move "very injurious" to the so-called special relationship. Bannon does not currently hold a role in the administration, and the White House has not publicly confirmed any such warning. The London Times, reporting before the appointment, said the administration had signaled opposition to Miliband and was particularly concerned about the prospect of him becoming foreign secretary, though that reporting was not attributed to a named official.

The friction goes back years. During Trump's first presidential run, Miliband called him a "racist, misogynistic, self-confessed groper," a line that resurfaced after Trump's 2024 victory. Pressed on it by BBC Breakfast host Jon Kay on Nov. 12, 2024, Miliband acknowledged, "I've said some things in the past. My job now as a government minister is to work with people."

Policy differences compound the rhetorical ones. As energy secretary, Miliband became the face of Labour's net-zero agenda and the government's refusal to issue new licenses for North Sea oil and gas exploration, positions that have put him at odds with an American administration pushing Britain to expand domestic fossil-fuel production.

Nile Gardiner, director of the Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom at the Heritage Foundation and a former foreign-policy aide to the late Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, called the appointment "disastrous."

"I think the appointment of Ed Miliband as U.K. foreign secretary is disastrous for Britain," Gardiner said in an interview Tuesday. "It's a demonstration of a real lack of strategic thinking on the part of Andy Burnham."

"Ed Miliband is no friend of the United States," he added. "He has been an outspoken critic of President Trump. Miliband is also widely viewed by U.S. conservatives as the architect of the whole net-zero agenda, which is viewed as completely poisonous by the U.S. administration."

Gardiner described the choice as a "very high-risk move" that "makes no sense," and predicted early turbulence ahead. "Burnham is already off to a very bad start with this appointment. I'm in no doubt there will be very significant tensions between President Trump and Prime Minister Burnham, and Miliband's appointment is quite possibly the worst appointment that Burnham could make as foreign secretary."

In his first public remarks after taking the job, Miliband leaned on his family history. "It's the honor of my life, being asked by the prime minister to be the foreign secretary of our country," he said in a statement Tuesday. "My parents came here, Jewish refugees fleeing from the Nazis, and for them Britain provided sanctuary and a beacon of hope in the fight against fascism."

"At a time when the values of democracy, the rule of law and freedom are under threat as never before, I will carry that spirit, their spirit, into my work as foreign secretary," he added. "And now I'm going to go and get on with the task."

Miliband also pledged, according to the Financial Times, to nurture Britain's "strong, enduring and essential alliance" with the United States while simultaneously deepening the country's strategic relationship with the European Union, a balancing act that will test even the most seasoned diplomat.

His elevation has stirred concern in other quarters as well. In an opinion piece published Tuesday, Stephen Pollard, a former editor and current columnist for The Jewish Chronicle, argued that Miliband's record as Labour leader, including changes to party leadership rules that preceded Jeremy Corbyn's rise, should worry British Jews and supporters of Israel. Pollard predicted the Burnham government would pursue additional sanctions against Israel with the backing of a Jewish foreign secretary. As of Tuesday, no such sanctions had been announced.

Conservative Member of Parliament Priti Patel took aim at both leaders over the government's plan to move forward with the Chagos Islands agreement, under which Britain would hand the territory over to Mauritius. "Burnham and Miliband are wrong to press ahead with Labour's appalling Chagos Surrender," Patel wrote on X, arguing the deal would transfer British territory and cost taxpayers roughly £35 billion, or about $47 billion. "Once again, the same old Labour Party is undermining [our national security] and making Britain weaker on the international stage," she added.

For his part, Trump said Monday that his call with Burnham was "very good" and that the two plan to meet in the "not too distant future" to discuss shared interests.

The White House, State Department, and offices for both Miliband and Burnham did not immediately respond to requests for comment.