Donald Trump‘s transition team is said to be infuriated at his election win being met in the UK and Europe with attacks on his personality.
A defence industry insider told the i newspaper that members of the team believe the reaction “dismisses the fact that America voted convincingly for him and for change”.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and other Cabinet ministers were left scrambling to build bridges with the US president-elect after his victory last week following past criticism.
But some Labour politicians have doubled down with senior MP Emily Thornberry, who chairs the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, standing by previous claims that Mr Trump is a “racist” and a “sexual predator’.
Labour Mayor of London Sadiq Khan marked his re-election by saying that “progress is not inevitable”.
Meanwhile, there have been concerns in the EU about how the continent will deal with Mr Trump.
The insider said: “That isn’t the way to impress our closest security ally when there is work to be done, the world is getting more dangerous not less.
“He could easily switch away from Europe politically and say: look after yourselves on Ukraine, and so on.”
It comes as Mr Trump is set to return to the White House after sweeping to victory in the US presidential election on November 5.
Earlier this week he appointed tech billionaire Elon Musk to jointly lead a new US Department of Government Efficiency that will advise on how to reform and make savings in the federal government.
Downing Street yesterday said the Government looks forward to working with Mr Musk despite a spat between the billionaire and the PM over the summer riots in the UK.
On the UK’s relationship with Mr Musk, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “As the Prime Minister said, we look forward to working with President-elect Trump and his team on a wide range of issues to advance the US and UK relationship.”
