President Donald Trump waves as he boards Air Force One (Mark Schiefelbein/AP). (Image: AP)
Sir Keir Starmer and Donald Trump “stressed the importance of the close and warm ties” between Britain and the US and “agreed to meet soon” in a call on Sunday, Downing Street has said.
The talks came hours after the US president praised the Prime Minister for doing “a very good job thus far” and confirmed the pair were due to speak soon.
In a readout of the call, a No 10 spokesperson said: “The Prime Minister spoke to President Trump on Sunday.
“President Trump opened by sending his condolences to the Prime Minister on the loss of his brother. The Prime Minister thanked President Trump for his kind words and congratulated him on his inauguration.
“The Prime Minister paid tribute to President Trump’s role in securing the landmark ceasefire and hostages deal in Gaza.
“The president welcomed the release of Emily Damari and sent his best wishes to her family.
:
An endorsement from Donald Trump tells you everything you need to know about what is wrong with Boris Johnson’s politics and why he isn’t fit to be Prime Minister.
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer)
“They discussed the importance of working together for security in the Middle East.
“They also discussed trade and the economy, with the Prime Minister setting out how we are deregulating to boost growth.
“The two leaders stressed the importance of the close and warm ties between the UK and the US, and the president spoke of his respect and affection for the royal family.
“They agreed to meet soon and looked forward to further discussions then.”
Social media users were quick to point out the irony or the Prime Minister holding cordial talks with the new US President after the Labour was heavily critical of him following his election defeat in 2020.
In 2019, Trump endorsed to succeed as the leader of the Conservative Party, only for the then Shadow Secretary of State for Exiting the to use the comments to criticise the US President.
He said: “An endorsement from tells you everything you need to know about what is wrong with ’s politics and why he isn’t fit to be Prime Minister.”
It is unknown when the two will come face to face, although this summer’s G7 meeting in Kosovo could prove an ideal time for the two to meet for the first time.