Angela Rayner builds bridges with JD Vance whose remarks on UK being 'Islamist nuclear power' she slammed

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner and Vice President Elect JD Vance (Labour Party/Senate)
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner and Vice President Elect JD Vance (Labour Party/Senate)

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner spoke to US Vice President-elect JD Vance as the UK Government scrambled to build ties with Donald Trump’s team.

The senior leftwinger told how she had discussed with the Republican how “we build on the special relationship between our great countries”.

Both the deputies are outspoken, controversial and come from working-class backgrounds.

Ms Rayner is also among the Labour Cabinet ministers who have unleashed verbal tirades against Trump.

Commenting on his conduct during the Covid pandemic, she said: “He is an absolute buffoon. He has no place in the White House. He is an embarrassment and he should be ashamed of himself.”

After Joe Biden won the 2020 US election, she said that she was “so happy to see the back of Donald Trump”.

She has something in common with Ohio senator Mr Vance in terms of making scathing comments about Trump, as the soon-to-be Vice President previously compared the incoming President to Hitler.

But Ms Rayner has condemned Mr Vance’s jibe that the UK is “the first truly Islamist country that will get a nuclear weapon”.

After their talks, Ms Rayner tweeted: “Good to speak to US Vice President-elect @JDVance as UK Deputy Prime Minister.

“We spoke about our plans for the future and how, working together, we build on the special relationship between our great countries.”

Sir Keir Starmer himself spoke to Trump on Wednesday night and praised his “historic victory”.

Earlier on Thursday, Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden argued that previous comments about Trump by now Cabinet ministers would not impact on ties between the US and UK.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy, in a tweet in 2018, called Trump a “woman-hating Neo-Nazi sympathising sociopath”.

Shadow chancellor Mel Stride reiterated the Tories’ call for the Government to apologise to the president-elect for the withering criticism of him.

Sir Keir and Mr Lammy had dinner with Trump, the first convicted criminal set to become US President, in September.

The Republican property tycoon stormed to a decisive win in the US election against Democrat Kamala Harris, defying poll predictions of a very tight race.