Nigel Farage has vowed to help Sir Keir Starmer build a better relationship with Donald Trump to avoid squandering a “great opportunity”.
The Reform UK leader said Britain must “roll out the red carpet for Trump very quickly” as the world braces for a drastic change in Washington’s stance on trade.
The Prime Minister congratulated the Republican politician on a “historic election victory” after American voters returned him to the White House on Wednesday.
Number 10, which is seeking to build bridges with Mr Trump after his campaign filed a legal complaint about Labour activists backing rival Kamala Harris, said Sir Keir looked forward to speaking with him in “due course”.
Concerns have also mounted about the prospect of a UK-US trade deal in light of Mr Trump’s proposal to impose hefty tariffs on American imports.
And Mr Farage declared on Wednesday night: “Perhaps the biggest worry that Sir Keir Starmer faces in policy terms is that Trump has announced a big tariff regime. Britain is, potentially, in a fortunate position. Such tariffs might be avoided – but only by direct negotiations with Team Trump, something of which Starmer’s friends in the European Union would not approve. Which way will Starmer jump?
“On defence, I see deep tensions over the surrender of the Chagos Islands, in particular America’s long-term use of the base at Diego Garcia.
“Britain is really going to have to roll out the red carpet for Trump very quickly. If we don’t, a great opportunity will be squandered.
“I’m overjoyed that this process has already begun, with our very sensible Speaker of the House of Commons, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, making clear that Trump will be able to address Parliament during his State visit next year.
“However, there is no time to waste. If I can be helpful in any way when it comes to bridging the divide that exists between Starmer’s Government and Trump, I will be glad to assist.
“I might not agree with almost anything that Starmer and his Cabinet stand for, but I do believe in something called the national interest.”
Number 10 refused to be drawn on “future policy discussions” when asked on Wednesday whether such an approach would damage the UK economy, but insisted the Government is confident in standing up for Britain’s interests.
“We look forward to working with President-elect Trump including on a wide range of his policy priorities to improve the UK-US trading relations and to support the significant investment relationship that supports millions of jobs across our two countries,” Sir Keir’s spokesman said.
But Mr Farage also warned Donald Trump’s re-election would have a “profound” impact on the UK.
He said: “Trump’s victory will have profound consequences for politics across the Western world, including in the United Kingdom. At the moment, Britain’s energy costs are among the most expensive globally, thanks partly to our socialist government’s green policies. Might Trump’s cheaper energy policies now influence our own?
“There are also parallels on the thorny topic of immigration. Legal immigration has been running at record levels in Britain but it is illegal immigration that has really outraged the British public, just as voters in America have become furious by the huge numbers crossing the Rio Grande.
“The sense of disconnect between our political class and the people who live outside the M25 is as wide as it is in the USA. Ditto in Europe. Americans have had enough and are looking to Trump to solve the problem. You can bet Britons feel similar impatience.”
Mr Trump has refused to explicitly say if he wants Ukraine to win the war with Russia, insisting he wants the conflict to end “in a day” but declining to set out the specifics of how this would be achieved.
Sir Keir has said the UK’s support for Kyiv will remain “ironclad” in the wake of the former president’s election win.
“President-elect Trump has been a steadfast supporter of the special and enduring relationship with the US and the UK have enjoyed for many years,” his spokesman said.
“We welcome sustained bipartisan US support for Ukraine which has been absolutely key in the international effort, and the UK’s support for Ukraine will remain ironclad.
“This is obviously among many issues that the Prime Minister looks forward to working with the president-elect on in the coming months and years ahead.”
At Prime Minister’s Questions in the Commons on Wednesday, Sir Keir said: “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.”
Mr Trump’s victory was used as ammunition by Tory leader Kemi Badenoch in her first sparring match with Sir Keir across the despatch box, where she urged the PM to apologise for Mr Lammy’s 2018 description of the president-elect.
The Foreign Secretary had called Mr Trump a “woman-hating, neo-Nazi-sympathising sociopath” who is “a profound threat to the international order”.
Ms Badenoch also called on Sir Keir to back an invitation for Mr Trump to address Parliament and revive talks on a UK-US trade deal.
Sir Keir said: “Of course we will discuss issues of our economy with the president-elect, as we already have done.”
Mr Trump declared he had won a “magnificent victory for the American people” once it was clear he was on track to return to the White House as 47th president of the United States early on Wednesday.
That victory was later confirmed as a win in Wisconsin tipped him over the 270 electoral votes needed to defeat Ms Harris.
Mr Trump told supporters that “America has given us an unprecedented and powerful mandate”.
He said that he would not let his backers down and that it is “time to put the divisions of the past four years behind us”.
Addressing a campaign party in Florida in the early hours of Wednesday, Mr Trump pledged to “fight” for “every citizen” and promised the “golden age of America”.
He added: “This is a magnificent victory for the American people that will allow us to make America great again.”
The president-elect has long complained about US tax dollars funding European security and has been highly critical about Nato members not spending enough.
He has also repeatedly claimed he would bring the war in Ukraine to an end, although he has not set out how he would achieve this.
Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky was quick to congratulate Mr Trump and said: “I appreciate President Trump’s commitment to the ‘peace through strength’ approach in global affairs. This is exactly the principle that can practically bring just peace in Ukraine closer. I am hopeful that we will put it into action together.
“We rely on continued strong bipartisan support for Ukraine in the United States.”
Nato secretary general Mark Rutte said Mr Trump’s leadership “will again be key to keeping our alliance strong”, adding: “Through Nato, the US has 31 friends and allies who help to advance US interests, multiply American power and keep Americans safe.”
Addressing Mr Trump’s concerns about burden-sharing, he added: “Two-thirds of Allies now spend at least 2% of their GDP (gross domestic product) on defence, and defence spending and production are on an onward trajectory across the alliance.”
Former defence secretary Sir Ben Wallace said the return of Mr Trump should spur European Nato members to commit more to security, with a pledge to spend 3% of GDP.
“Whatever your feelings about the US election are, the best insurance for all our security is to invest in our own defence and security right across Europe,” he said.
