Revealed: Donald Trump invites Theresa May to Washington during phone call to discuss 'special relationship'

Prime Minister: Theresa May could be one of the first world leaders to meet the President-elect in January
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Donald Trump today invited Theresa May to meet him as soon as possible – and said it would be a “great honour” to welcome her to Washington.

The pair spoke about the “special relationship” between the UK and the US over the phone and – crucially – about strengthening trade and investment between the two nations.

The Prime Minister now looks set to be among the first European leaders to see the next President when he moves into the White House in January.

She plans to cross the Atlantic early next year, revealed No 10 sources. The agenda of the meeting is likely to focus on Nato, the transatlantic defence club, following Mr Trump’s grumbles that some other European countries are not pulling their military weight.

The call will hearten Mrs May’s allies who hope to hold the President-elect to his promise that Britain will be at the front of the queue for a trade deal after Brexit. The agenda will be set closer to the date.

The official read-out of the phone call from No 10 said the two leaders agreed there was a “very special” bond between their countries. It stated: “The Prime Minister spoke to US President-elect Donald Trump earlier this afternoon to congratulate him on his hard-fought election campaign and victory. The President-elect said he very much looked forward to working with the Prime Minister and congratulated her on her recent appointment.

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“The Prime Minister and President-elect Trump agreed that the US-UK relationship was very important and very special, and that building on this would be a priority for them both. President-elect Trump set out his close and personal connections with, and warmth for, the UK. He said he was confident that the special relationship would go from strength to strength.

“The Prime Minister expressed her commitment to building and expanding the UK’s relationships around the world, particularly after the referendum vote, and the importance of our partnership with the US. She noted President-elect Trump’s commitment in his acceptance speech to uniting people across America, which she said is a task we all need to focus on globally.

“The Prime Minister said that we have a long history of shared values and added that she looked forward to that continuing in the future.

“She highlighted her wish to strengthen bilateral trade and investment with the US as we leave the EU. But she said that our relationship is so much more than that and our two countries have always stood together as close allies when it counts the most. President-elect Trump strongly agreed and added that the UK is a ‘very, very special place for me and for our country’.

“The call ended with President-elect Trump inviting the Prime Minister to visit him as soon as possible.”

Mr Trump took calls yesterday from the leaders of nine countries, Australia, Egypt, Mexico, Israel, Turkey, India, Japan, Australia, Ireland and South Korea.

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Irish premier Enda Kenny was the first EU leader to announce a firm date to visit the next president, following a 10-minute phone call. Mr Trump, who has a golf course at Doonbeg in Ireland, invited him to continue a tradition of giving a bunch of shamrocks to the US president for St Patrick’s Day, March 17.

Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith previously praised Mrs May for giving “straightforward congratulations [to Mr Trump], instead of carping or nuancing that welcome like some other leaders” — a clear swipe at German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who offered close co-operation but on the basis of respect for minorities.

Mr Duncan Smith, who has ties with US Republicans, said that despite British courting of President Barack Obama, the result “wasn’t very special and not much of a relationship”.

“After all, for the last eight years President Obama made it abundantly clear that he did not consider the UK as any more important in his international relations than any other country, particularly Germany and the EU itself,” said the former work and pensions secretary, writing on Conservative Home.

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