Sir Keir Starmer has “fondly recalled” meeting Donald Trump in September as the Prime Minister offered his “hearty congratulations” to the ex-President after he defeated Kamala Harris.
Starmet met with the 45th President alongside Foreign Secretary David Lammy in September as Labour planned to smooth out relations ahead of polls opening on November 5.
The Prime Minister congratulated Trump on his victory on social media and in the House of Commons before making a phone call this evening.
Starmer released a photo showing him grinning on the phone while speaking to Trump.
GETTY/KEIR STARMER
In a social media update, the Prime Minister said: “Good to speak with President-elect Donald Trump to congratulate him on his historic victory.”
A Downing Street spokesperson added: “The Prime Minister offered his hearty congratulations and said he looked forward to working closely with president-elect Trump across all areas of the special relationship.
“From defence and security to growth and prosperity, the relationship between the UK and US was incredibly strong and would continue to thrive for many years to come, the leaders agreed.
“The Prime Minister also reflected on the situation in the Middle East and underscored the importance of regional stability.
“The leaders fondly recalled their meeting in September, and President-elect Trump’s close connections and affinity to the United Kingdom and looked forward to working with one another.”
Starmer’s phone call comes after he faced down criticism from Tory leader Kemi Badenoch over Lammy’s previous comments about the 45th President.
Badenoch said: “The Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary met him [Trump] in September. Did the Foreign Secretary take that opportunity to apologise for making derogatory and scatological references, including, and I quote, ‘Trump is not only a woman-hating Neo-Nazi sympathising sociopath, he is also a profound threat to the international order’, and if he did not apologise, will the Prime Minister do so now on his behalf?”
Starmer replied: “The Foreign Secretary and I did meet President-elect Trump, just a few weeks ago, for dinner, for about a couple of hours. We discussed a number of issues of global significance. It was a very constructive exercise.”
The Prime Minister later opened the door to Trump visiting the Houses of Parliament, with GB News exclusively revealing that Speaker Lindsay Hoyle would not block the President-elect’s visit.
