PM 'hugely impressed' with British troops, pledging to get them up-to-date kit they need
"Defence is right up there as a top priority" was one of the first things the new Prime Minister said to us as he answered questions from a huddle of defence reporters at HMNB Portsmouth.
He was speaking following his first meeting with President Zelensky, which took place on board HMS Queen Elizabeth.
"My duty to those who serve our country is to make sure that they have got the kit that they need, that it's up-to-date, and I will honour the commitments there," Mr Burnham said.
He spoke of his pride following the aircraft carrier's return, telling me: "It was really good to have the president here in sunny Portsmouth on a day like today, with HMS Prince of Wales just returned from the High North, to show what Britain can do and to be proud of what Britain can do, to stand beside the members of our Armed Forces.
"It was good to be able to show him what what we're all about."
The PM told reporters: "It's always a major thing to step up to serve your country, but to do it now, when the world is as it is, and the likelihood of being called into active service is greater or into harm's way is greater... it's a huge thing.
"Many of the young people I met today who've recently signed up to serve in the Navy – it was fantastic to be able to say to them, you know, we don't just take it for granted.
"We recognise what they've done."
Zelensky has wind in his sails
As he calmly strolled towards us in his trademark t-shirt and suit jacket combo, his more relaxed and personable approach stood out a mile, in great contrast to the formality of his predecessor.
I watched personnel as they watched him; we were all trying to make the most of that first chance to suss out the new PM.
I was keen to know what Andy Burnham's approach to Ukraine would be and what the ask would mean for UKAF as a result.
He was not giving much away on the details, but made it clear that both he and President Zelensky would be seeing a lot of each other and that both were "hugely impressed" by the British troops they had met.
The Prime Minister told me: "We had a very good discussion. I thought I would get on well with him. I did get on well with him.
"I think I will be seeing a lot of him in the coming period. I said to him, I think he's justified in having a sense of wind in his sails because, you know, Ukraine has fought hard and fought back and has made some advances of its own in recent times."
He added: "There's a lot of people who didn't believe Ukraine would be where they are today, but they are where they are and it was important for me to say to him that the resilience of his people is quite something, isn't it?
"And it sets the standard really in a challenging world. I think we all take inspiration from that."
Future collaboration
Mr Burnham made it clear he intends to visit Ukraine soon.
Fresh out of his meeting with President Zelensky, he told me: "We talked about defence investments and he appreciated the British commitment, but he said, well, let's see how we get more benefits in terms of British jobs and British industry.
"He picked up the comments that I had made about re-industrialising Britain, [and they] seemed to resonate with him.
"In real time out in Ukraine they are innovating and they are testing technology and that creates an industrial opportunity. Back here, we talked about potential collaboration and potential investment here, and as a result of that, so much more to to follow up in the days and weeks and months to come."
The new Prime Minister has said a lot about the importance of defence in his first week in office, and has given the former Defence Secretary John Healey, who quit over a lack of defence funding under Sir Keir Starmer, the keys to the Treasury. However, it is the detail of what he will deliver in practice that the defence world is keener than ever to see.
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