Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has paid tribute to US President Donald Trump for his "role in securing the landmark ceasefire and hostages deal in Gaza" during a call between the two leaders.
The conversation took place on Sunday, hours after Trump praised Sir Keir for having done a "very good job thus far" and said the pair had a "very good relationship".
The incoming Trump administration worked in close co-ordination with that of his predecessor, Joe Biden, over the deal, which was agreed between Israel and Hamas earlier this month.
The president welcomed the release of the recently freed British-Israeli hostage Emily Damari.
The 28-year-old was one of the first three hostages to be released by Hamas last week, after a ceasefire was agreed just days before Trump took office.
A Hamas official previously credited Trump with telling mediators he wanted an agreement before his inauguration.
He publicly warned of "hell to pay" if Hamas did not agree to release the hostages, and sent an envoy to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to exert pressure on him to strike a deal.
The 45-minute call appears to have emphasised points of agreement not distance.
Downing Street also said Trump and Sir Keir "discussed the importance of working together for security in the Middle East".
The prime minister used the call to lay out how his government was "deregulating to boost growth".
Earlier this week, Sir Keir announced plans to block campaigners from making repeated legal challenges to planning decisions for major infrastructure projects – while his chancellor hinted on Sunday that she would support expanding Heathrow Airport.
Trump himself has supported a deregulatory agenda – a view he shares with adviser and tech billionaire Elon Musk, who before taking up a US government position complained about regulations standing in the way of his companies.
Musk has been highly critical of Sir Keir and has repeatedly called for the prime minister's removal from office, however.
Earlier this month, Musk said Sir Keir was "deeply complicit in the mass rapes in exchange for votes" in relation to the grooming gangs scandal.
In response, Sir Keir – who was director of public prosecutions between 2008 and 2013 – accused his critics of "spreading lies and misinformation" and said he tackled prosecutions "head on".
But in an interview with the BBC on Air Force One on Saturday, Trump praised the prime minister's leadership, saying he was a "very good guy".
"I may not agree with his philosophy, but I have a very good relationship with him."
Despite philosophical differences, it would appear that the conversation was convivial.
The president began the call by offering his condolences to Sir Keir about the death of his brother, Nick, who died on Boxing Day.
He also expressed his "respect" for the UK Royal Family.
Trump, whose mother was born in Scotland, is a long-term and avowed fan of the royals.
After meeting the Prince of Wales last month while the pair were in France, Trump described Prince William as a "good man" doing a "fantastic job".
Sir Keir wrote on X following his call with Trump: "I look forward to meeting soon to strengthen the close ties between our countries."
Both men have already met on a number of occasions, including a visit by Sir Keir to Trump Tower in New York during the presidential campaign – but their upcoming meeting will be the first since Trump resumed the presidency.
Last week, Foreign Secretary David Lammy said Sir Keir would visit Washington for talks with Trump "within the next few weeks".
The call was not the forum for a detailed policy discussion, but there was no mention in the Downing Street statement of the potentially contentious proposed deal to cede sovereignty over the Chagos Islands, where there is a joint US-UK military base.
And while trade was mentioned, the word "tariffs" – which Trump has threatened to impose on countries that sell products in the US and which the UK is hoping to avoid – does not appear in either the White House or Downing Street's account of the conversation.
The White House said the two discussed "how both countries can promote a fair bilateral economic relationship".
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It comes after the US president imposed a ban on diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) programmes.
The president told reporters the island's 57,000 residents "want to be with us".
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