US President Donald Trump has said he has a “very good relationship” with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, adding he has done a “very good job thus far.”
Speaking to the BBC onboard Air Force One, Trump told the broadcaster the pair would be having a phone call “over the next 24 hours.”
“I get along with him well. I like him a lot,” Trump said.
“He’s liberal, which is a bit different from me, but I think he’s a very good person and I think he’s done a very good job thus far.
“He’s represented his country in terms of philosophy.
“I may not agree with his philosophy, but I have a very good relationship with him.”
The US president added the UK was being considered as the destination for the first international trip of his second term.
He told the BBC: “It could be Saudi Arabia, it could be UK. Traditionally it could be UK.”
Starmer most recently met Trump at Trump Tower in New York during the presidential campaign.
The pair also spoke on the phone following Trump’s election victory, with Downing Street saying both men agreed the relationship between the UK and the US was “incredibly strong” and would “continue to thrive.”
Following Trump’s inauguration on January 20, Foreign Secretary David Lammy indicated Starmer would visit Washington within weeks.
Trump’s close ally Elon Musk has heavily criticized Starmer in recent weeks as the billionaire owner of Tesla and SpaceX piled pressure on the prime minister to order an inquiry into grooming gangs.