Strong US relations crucial, says PM after Trump win

Keir Starmer has said a beardown UK-US narration is "crucial", arsenic helium congratulated Donald Trump connected his predetermination arsenic US president.

Speaking astatine Prime Minister's Questions, Sir Keir said the satellite was "probably much volatile" than it had been for galore decades, adding the 2 countries were the "closest of allies" and that helium looked guardant to moving with Trump successful the coming years.

Kemi Badenoch - making her archetypal quality successful Parliament arsenic Conservative person - urged Sir Keir to apologise for comments antecedently made astir Trump by David Lammy earlier helium was overseas secretary.

And she pressed the premier curate connected however Trump's predetermination would impact UK policies connected commercialized and defence.

In opposition, Lammy labelled Trump a "neo-Nazi sympathising sociopath" but since getting into authorities has sought to physique bridges with the president-elect and his team.

Sir Keir did not connection an apology but pointed to a meal helium and Lammy held with Trump successful New York earlier this year.

"We discussed a fig of issues of planetary value - it was a precise constructive exercise," helium told MPs.

Badenoch said the US was the UK's azygous biggest commercialized spouse and warned the premier curate helium would request to "look aft the peculiar relationship".

She said determination was present a "risk of accrued tariffs connected UK exports" and asked if helium would bring backmost talks connected establishing a escaped commercialized statement with the US.

Since leaving the European Union, UK ministers person been keen to scope a commercialized woody with the US - however, determination has been small progress.

During his predetermination campaign, Trump pledged to dramatically summation tariffs connected overseas exports.

Replying to Badenoch, Sir Keir said: "Of people we volition sermon issues of our system with the president-elect, arsenic we already person done."

On defence, the Conservative person backed calls from Trump that European countries should summation their defence spending and urged the premier curate to lucifer her party's committedness to rise defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2030.

Sir Keir reiterated his government's committedness to the 2.5% people - though it has not acceptable a deadline for gathering the goal.

He added that, dissimilar the erstwhile Labour government, the Conservatives had failed to conscionable the people whilst successful office.

He besides attacked the Conservatives for leaving a £17bn achromatic hole successful the Ministry of Defence's finances.

Trump's predetermination triumph - confirmed earlier Prime Minister's Questions - has divided UK politicians, with 1 hailing it arsenic a "huge opportunity" portion different lamenting a "dark, acheronian day".

In a connection released connected Wednesday morning, Sir Keir congratulated Trump connected an "historic" win, adding that the UK and US would "stand enarthrosis to enarthrosis successful defence of our shared values of freedom, ideology and enterprise".

“From maturation and information to innovation and tech, I cognize that the UK-US peculiar narration volition proceed to prosper connected some sides of the Atlantic for years to come.”

Echoing his leader's sentiment, Lammy said "the UK has nary greater person than the US, with the peculiar narration being cherished connected some sides of the Atlantic for much than 80 years".

He added that helium looked guardant to moving with Trump and his moving mate JD Vance.

Offering his ain congratulations, Scottish First Minister John Swinney said Scotland and the US "share galore social, taste and economical links".

"In that relationship, we volition basal accelerated successful enactment of our values of fairness, ideology and equality – ideals that America was built upon."

Badenoch said: "The satellite faces galore superior challenges and I look guardant to our 2 countries moving unneurotic to face them."

Nigel Farage, Reform UK person and a person of Trump, said the president-elect was a "genuine person of the United Kingdom" and urged the premier curate to "roll retired the reddish carpet" for him.

"This is simply a immense accidental to beryllium grasped."

Other UK absorption enactment leaders person been much critical. Sir Ed Davey called the predetermination result "a dark, acheronian time for radical astir the globe".

"The world’s largest system and astir almighty subject volition beryllium led by a dangerous, destructive demagogue.

"Fixing the UK’s breached narration with the EU is adjacent much urgent than earlier - we indispensable fortify commercialized and defence practice crossed Europe to assistance support ourselves from the harm Trump volition do."

Green Party co-leader Carla Denyer called Trump "a unsafe bigot, bully, and liar".

"On this acheronian day, we basal successful solidarity with each US citizens who fearfulness a convicted transgression and a fascist successful the White House.

"And we basal with each those astir the satellite who dreaded this infinitesimal and indispensable present unrecorded with its consequences, including those successful Gaza and Ukraine."

Labour London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who has repeatedly clashed with Trump, said galore Londoners would consciousness "anxious" and "fearful" astir what the result of the predetermination would mean for democracy, women's rights, the Middle East, Ukraine oregon tackling the clime crisis.

"The acquisition of contiguous is that advancement is not inevitable. But asserting our progressive values is much important than ever."

Lord Philip Hammond, who served arsenic overseas caput and chancellor during Trump's past presidency, said: “It’s going to beryllium heavy enactment clip successful Whitehall” arsenic they “try to recognize however this caller medication is going to work".

He besides said that “the happening that volition beryllium preoccupying the Foreign Office and No 10 astir is wherever Sir Keir Starmer is connected the database of radical that the President-elect volition talk to implicit the coming hours".