US election: Starmer and Badenoch lead British congratulations as Trump wins US election
6 November 2024, 09:18 | Updated: 6 November 2024, 13:31
Sir Keir Starmer and Kemi Badenoch have both congratulated Donald Trump on his "historic" and "impressive" US election victory as they vowed to work closely with the president-elect.
The prime minister said he hoped the UK and US would "continue to work together to protect our shared values of freedom and democracy".
He told MPs: "Having had dinner with president-elect Trump just a few weeks ago, I look forward to working with him in the years to come."
Sir Keir was joined in his congratulations by Kemi Badenoch, the new Tory leader, who remarked on Mr Trump's "impressive victory" at the pair's first outing together at prime minister's questions.
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However, Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey said it was a "dark, dark day for people around the globe" as he called Mr Trump a "dangerous destructive demagogue".
Speaking at the despatch box for the first time as Tory leader, Ms Badenoch immediately challenged Sir Keir on comments made by David Lammy, his foreign secretary, whom she said had made "derogatory and scatological references" about Mr Trump in the past.
She asked Sir Keir whether he or Mr Lammy had apologised to Mr Trump when they met him in September - to which the prime minister did not directly answer.
Mr Trump declared victory at 2.20am local time in Florida (7.20am in the UK) on Wednesday after winning 266 electoral votes to Kamala Harris's 219, saying he would "heal the country".
His victory was confirmed when he surpassed 270 electoral college votes by winning the state of Wisconsin, and he remains on course to claim all seven swing states.
Sir Keir and Mr Trump have not always been on the best terms, with the Trump campaign filing a legal complaint against Labour officials who travelled to US battleground states to volunteer for the Harris camp.
In a letter to the US Federal Election Commission, it said the volunteering amounted to "illegal foreign national contributions".
However, Sir Keir insisted he had a "good relationship" with Mr Trump and they had dinner together in New York last month to ensure they were on good terms.
Mr Lammy previously called Mr Trump "a racist KKK and Nazi sympathiser" but congratulated the president-elect and said he looked forward to working with him and vice president-elect JD Vance.
"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," he said.
Sir Ed, Green co-leader Carla Denyer and London's Labour mayor Sadiq Khan made less conciliatory remarks.
The Lib Dem leader said: "This is a dark, dark day for people around the globe. The world's largest economy and most powerful military will be led by a dangerous, destructive demagogue.
"The next president of the United States is a man who actively undermines the rule of law, human rights, international trade, climate action and global security.
"Millions of Americans - especially women and minorities - will be incredibly fearful about what comes next. We stand with them."
He added it was "more urgent than before" to fix the UK's "broken relationship" with the EU to "help protect ourselves from the damage Trump will do".
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Mr Khan said he knows "many Londoners will be anxious...and fearful" about what it will mean for democracy and for women's rights, or how it will impact the Middle East situation and Ukraine.
"The lesson of today is that progress is not inevitable," he said.
"But asserting our progressive values is more important than ever - re-committing to building a world where racism and hatred is rejected, the fundamental rights of women and girls are upheld, and where we continue to tackle the crisis of climate change head on."
