Prime Minister Andy Burnham said his government would argue for Britain to be a “trusted partner” to the European Union’s ‘Made in Europe’ scheme, saying the nation was no enemy of the bloc but rather a neighbour suffering similar problems.

Travelling to New York for his first meeting of the United Nations General Assembly as prime minister, Burnham told reporters he believed there was support for Britain’s desire to have access to the scheme, which is aimed at curbing ‌reliance ⁠on Chinese components by prioritising European-made goods.

“Europe’s argument is not with us. We both suffer the same effects as other countries, particularly (in) steel,” he said on the flight to New York on Monday.

“We are making the argument: we are not your enemies here… we are not the problem. Made in Europe is dealing with a different problem. We are making the argument that: let’s avoid collateral damage.”

Britain has argued that the EU’s “Made in Europe” plan could impact supply chains and create unnecessary trade barriers between London and some member countries, and Burnham is anxious not to miss out on another scheme after talks to join the EU’s SAFE defence fund broke down.

Burnham has pledged to further his predecessor’s drive to deepen ties with the EU, which improved under Keir Starmer after years of distrust triggered by Britain’s vote to leave the bloc in 2016.

But Burnham said he wants to go further and faster, adding his focus was on a UK-EU summit which was delayed by Britain’s change in leader in July but he said he hoped would still take place this year.

“Lets work towards a trusted partner approach that doesn’t cause a problem where there wasn’t a problem and where we have common cause,” he said.