Donald Trump's victory hailed as 'historic and impressive' by Britain's US ambassador

Praising the president elect, Sir Kim Darroch says the so-called special relationship is 'stronger than ever'

Britain's ambassador to the US, Sir Kim Darroch (Getty Images)

Donald Trump's presidential election victory has been hailed as "historic and impressive" by Britain's ambassador to the US.

Sir Kim Darroch said the so-called special relationship was "stronger than ever", adding that the US President-elect Trump and Theresa May had stressed the importance of the bond between the UK-US relationship in their phone calls.

He said they would build on the legacy of Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher, who enjoyed a particularly close relationship across the Atlantic.

Sir Kim, who has been in post since January, has faced pressure in light of Nigel Farage's close relationship with Mr Trump.

The president-elect even tweeted that many would like to see Mr Farage as Britain's US ambassador, and that he thought the former Ukip leader would do "a great job".

Sir Kim has spoken publicly about the row for the first time in an article for the Washington Post.

The British diplomat called 2016 "a seismic year for both American and British politics", adding: "Donald Trump has captured the presidency in a historic and impressive win like no other in history.

"And in the United Kingdom, the British people voted decisively to leave the European Union in what was a clear instruction from the British people to take back control from Brussels."

Sir Kim said both votes "captured the mood and will of the electorate", and now was the time for both governments to move forward with a better understanding of the issues.

He pointed to globalisation leaving people behind, a loss of jobs and "the emergence of a new global elite who sometimes seem to play by a different set of rules", and said Britain and the US should work together to tackle the challenges.

He added: "In their phone calls so far, Trump and British Prime Minister Theresa May have made clear that the special relationship between Britain and the United States is stronger than ever.

"They will work together closely, building on the legacy of previous leaders such as President Reagan and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher."

Sir Kim pointed to further co-operation on trade, saying Britain would forge "new and dynamic trading relationships" across the world, including with the US.

He also highlighted joint working around intelligence and the military, saying Britain remained America's closest partner on defence.

He added: "For decades, our partnership has been the cornerstone of the world order. So we, as an alliance, will continue to be strong. We will continue to fight for the security of our nations and economies that benefit everyone."