Keir Starmer has congratulated Donald Trump on his “historic election victory” and said that “as the closest of allies, we stand shoulder to shoulder in defence of our shared values of freedom, democracy and enterprise”.
The British prime minister said the UK-US special relationship would “continue to prosper” after Trump’s “historic election victory”.
Starmer said: “Congratulations President-elect Trump on your historic election victory. I look forward to working with you in the years ahead. As the closest of allies, we stand shoulder to shoulder in defence of our shared values of freedom, democracy and enterprise.
“From growth and security to innovation and tech, I know that the UK-US special relationship will continue to prosper on both sides of the Atlantic for years to come.”
Starmer will be keen to build bridges with Trump after the Republican politician’s campaign filed a legal complaint about Labour activists supporting Kamala Harris.
Britain’s foreign secretary, David Lammy, also offered his congratulations to Trump, saying on X : “The UK has no greater friend than the US, with the special relationship being cherished on both sides of the Atlantic for more than 80 years. We look forward to working with you and JDVance in the years ahead.”
In 2017, Lammy tweeted he would protest if “racist and KKK/neo-Nazi sympathiser Trump” visited London.
Meanwhile, Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform UK and the MP for Clacton, who backed Trump and was present at Trump’s address on Wednesday morning to supporters, said he believed the new president would be a “genuine radical”.
Trump had put together “a remarkable coalition”, he said, including the X billionaire owner, Elon Musk, and “a member of the Kennedy family, which would have been unthinkable at any point in the last 70 years”.
Farage said he believed Musk would be tasked with a “big fightback against the administrative bureaucratic state, which is far too big, far too powerful and actually very undemocratic”.
Asked on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme if he was surprised at the overall result, Farage said: “No, absolutely not. I really wasn’t. I’d been feeling very bullish about the thing all day.”
He added Trump had also put together “a coalition of lots of Hispanic voters, many more black voters than any Republican candidate has ever managed to achieve. more Jewish voters than ever achieved and more young voters”.