Andy Burnham admits 'concerns' about cutting of Ukraine's access to crucial Starlink services - amid claims Elon Musk ordered slowdown after talks with Donald Trump

Andy Burnham today expressed fears about the cutting of crucial Starlink satellite services to Ukraine - but dodged criticising Donald Trump over the action.

The Prime Minister said he held 'concerns about any move that diminishes the military capability of Ukraine' amid the furious spat between Kyiv and Washington.

But he failed to offer public censure of either the US President or Starlink owner Elon Musk over the slowdown that left Ukraine more vulnerable to Russian attacks.

Speaking at Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday, Mr Burnham told MPs that the 'currently fragile' situation between the US and Ukraine needed 'careful handling'.

The latest tensions between Mr Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last week saw Kyiv's access to Starlink restricted.

This inhibited Ukraine's ability to intercept Russian drone and missile attacks as Vladimir Putin continues his barbaric assault on the country.

Mr Musk, who owns Starlink via his SpaceX firm, claimed that any limits on the speed or usage of Starlink services are decided by the US military and ultimately Mr Trump.

But the US President himself has said he didn't know who was responsible for the Starlink slowdown and 'would like to find out'.

Kyiv claimed a speed limit introduced on some Starlink services had left it with little or no warning of Russian attacks.

Furious Ukrainians accused either Mr Trump or Mr Musk of having 'blood on their hands' over the decision, with multiple casualties attributed to the cutting of services.

Mr Burnham was quizzed about the row in the wake of reports that Mr Musk approached Mr Trump with the idea of slowing down Starlink in Ukraine.

The US President is claimed to have then 'agreed' with Mr Musk's suggestion.

Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey urged the PM to work with European allies to block Mr Musk from expanding his Starlink services across the continent.

'This week Ukraine's defence system was seriously undermined by the US restricting access to Elon Musk's Starlink system,' he said.

'Musk says the order came from the White House, but the Telegraph and Wall Street Journal have revealed that Musk put the idea to Donald Trump himself.

'I understand the Prime Minister's reluctance to criticise the President of the United States, but does he agree that directly aiding Putin in this way is beyond the pale?

'And will he work with European allies to prevent Elon Musk getting the licences he wants that would make our continent even more dependent on his satellite system?'

In his response, Mr Burnham pointed to how talks had been held between Mr Zelensky and Mr Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff in Oslo on Tuesday.  

'Of course, I have concerns about any move that diminishes the military capability of Ukraine in the position in which it finds itself at this moment in time,' the PM said.

'Of course he is right about that, and I'm sure that sentiment is echoed right around this country.

'But it is a situation that is currently fragile and needs careful handling. There were talks in Oslo yesterday, where the UK Government was represented.

'I think at this moment in time, I think we need to handle the situation carefully so that we can bring back all sides to get the support behind President Zelensky and Ukraine, and I can assure him the UK Government is working on every single level to bring that about.'

A day after his talks with Mr Zelensky, Mr Witkoff met with Mr Putin in a palace in St Petersburg.