Will Trump be Burnham’s undoing, or the making of him? The answer lies in Europe | Jonathan Freedland

In an increasingly dangerous world, our European neighbours are finding safety in numbers – but Britain is on the outside. The new PM’s task is to change that There is an orange cloud in the sky. I’m not referring to the wildfires ravaging parts of Europe and East Anglia, though they are connected. I mean the looming pall from across the Atlantic that threatens to spoil the sunny start to the premiership of Andy Burnham – and whose name is Donald Trump. Burnham’s first 10 days or so in office have gone about as well as he or any of his team could have dared hope. His net approval rating has risen by 17 points, according to one early poll, gaining ground with every category of voter except supporters of Reform UK, though they too like some of what they see. His easy manner, no-notes speech-making and agility on social media have won plaudits, including from a usually sceptical press. But the new prime minister will know that all this could be upended at a stroke, with a single move by the man in the White House. Keir Starmer watched as the earliest green shoots of economic growth emerged earlier this year, only to be crushed by Trump’s decision to combine with Israel and