Theresa May: Talking to Donald Trump is 'very easy'

Theresa May has said that Donald Trump is "very easy to talk to" - despite taking him to task during the US presidential election.

Speaking to reporters on a trip to Bahrain, the Prime Minister was asked what she thought of the President-elect following her phone conversation with the victorious candidate.

She said: "What I have found with Donald Trump is that he is somebody who very much values the relationship he has with the UK.

"When we've talked, one of the key things we've talked about is the depth of our special relationship, and the fact that we both want to ensure that we obviously maintain that, but we also build on that for the future."

Despite the firm ties between the UK and US, Mrs May was 11th on the list of world leaders when Mr Trump came to make his traditional round of telephone calls.

His tardiness may have had something to do with Mrs May's apparent antipathy towards the former reality TV host and billionaire property developer.

When Mr Trump suggested Muslim extremists had made some areas of London no-go areas for police, she retorted: "I just think it shows he does not understand the UK and what happens in the UK."

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But as he contemplates building walls, Mr Trump is also mending fences.

The pair have had a second telephone conversation, and Mr Trump has invited Theresa May to Washington after his inauguration.

Meanwhile, Downing Street has said that a state visit for Mr Trump next year is "under consideration".

On the final day of her three day visit, Iran will take centre stage at the Gulf Cooperation Council Summit which she has become the first woman to attend.

She is expected to tell the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, UAE, Bahrain and Qatar that she is "clear eyed" about the threat Iran poses to the Gulf and the Middle East while underlining the importance of the nuclear deal struck last year.

As the British leader seeks to sign lucrative trade and investment deals with the region she will firmly align herself against the Gulf country's traditional enemy.

Donald Trump has threatened to rip up a landmark deal which halted Iran's nuclear ambition in return for the lifting of sanctions, but Theresa May will make clear that it was vitally important for regional security.

Addressing the plenary of the Gulf Co-operation Council in Manama, the Prime Minister is expected to say: "As we address new threats to our security, so we must also continue to confront state actors whose influence fuels instability in the region.

"So I want to assure you that I am clear-eyed about the threat that Iran poses to the Gulf and the wider Middle East; and the UK is fully committed to our strategic partnership with the Gulf and working with you to counter that threat.

"We must also work together to push back against Iran's aggressive regional actions, whether in Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen, Syria or in the Gulf itself."