Sir Keir Starmer and Donald Trump “stressed the importance of the close and warm ties” between their countries and “agreed to meet soon” in a phone call, Downing Street has said.

During the conversation on Sunday, the prime minister congratulated the president on his inauguration and paid tribute to his “role in securing the landmark ceasefire and hostages deal in Gaza“, according to a Number 10 spokesperson.

The two leaders “discussed the importance of working together for security in the Middle East” as well as “trade and the economy”.

Sir Keir told the US leader how he plans to deregulate the UK economy to boost growth, and the president spoke of his “respect and affection for the Royal Family“.

Mr Trump also gave his condolences to Sir Keir over the loss of his brother, who died on Boxing Day.

Earlier this weekend, the president said he thinks Sir Keir has “done a very good job” so far.

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He and the prime minister “get along well” despite Sir Keir being “liberal, which is a little bit different from me”, he told reporters travelling with him on Air Force One.

“He’s represented his country in terms of his philosophy. I may not agree with his philosophy but I have a very good relationship with him.”

Sir Keir previously met Mr Trump for dinner at Trump Tower in New York in September, before he was elected president for a second time.

He held two pre-inauguration calls with the new US president.

Mr Trump said his first international trip could be to the UK or Saudi Arabia – the first country he travelled to as president during his first term.

He said “traditionally” it could be the UK – but last time he travelled to Saudi Arabia because it agreed to buy billions of dollars of US merchandise.

“If that offer were right, I’d do that again,” he said.

A prominent Republican senator and longtime ally of Donald Trump has questioned his decision to pardon January 6 rioters.

Lindsey Graham said the move was a “mistake” and could lead to more violence.

Mr Trump announced a blanket pardon for about 1,500 of his supporters who attacked the US Capitol in 2021 as part of a flurry of executive orders.

Some of those who were freed from jail earlier this week had assaulted police officers during the insurrection.

Republican senator Mr Graham said while Mr Trump had the legal authority to issue the pardons, “pardoning the people who went into the Capitol and beat up a police officer violently, I think was a mistake. Because it seems to suggest that’s an okay thing to do”.

As a result, “I fear that you will get more violence”, said Mr Graham, who serves on the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Mr Trump has said that attacks on police officers during the January 6 unrest were “minor incidents”.

In his first sit-down interview since being inaugurated on Monday, recorded in the Oval Office, Mr Trump told Fox News’ Sean Hannity most of those who were jailed over the US Capitol riots were “absolutely innocent”.

He went on to claim those at the US Capitol were simply there “protesting the vote” before again falsely claiming the 2020 election was “rigged”.

Among those supporters who have been released from prison was Stewart Rhodes, the former leader of the far-right Oath Keepers group.

Rhodes had been serving an 18-year sentence after being convicted of plotting to use force to prevent Congress from certifying Mr Trump’s 2020 defeat to rival Joe Biden.

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The blanket pardon also drew condemnation from police who battled the mob, their families, and politicians, including some of the president’s fellow Republicans.

Graham also hits out at Biden pardons

Speaking on NBC’s Meet the Press programme, Mr Graham also criticised Mr Trump’s predecessor Democrat Mr Biden for issuing last-minute pardons for five family members and said Americans may want to revisit presidential pardon power if such actions continue.

“But as to pardoning violent people who beat up cops, I think that’s a mistake,” he said.

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Later in the TV show, Democratic senator Adam Schiff agreed with Mr Graham, saying Mr Biden “was wrong to give these pardons”.

He added: “What it says now to the Trump family and to President Trump’s kids: they can engage in any kind of malfeasance, criminality, graft, whatever, and they can expect a pardon on the way out the door. That is not a message you want to send to this family, or really any family occupying the White House.”

Trump criticised by brother of dead officer

Craig Sicknick, whose brother was assaulted during the riot and died of multiple strokes the next day, has called Mr Trump “pure evil”.

“The man who killed my brother is now president,” he said.

Nearly 60% of respondents in a Reuters/Ipsos poll, which was carried out after Mr Trump took office on Monday, said he should not pardon all of the Capitol defendants.

Donald Trump has said he thinks Sir Keir Starmer has “done a very good job” so far and said the pair will speak over the phone “over the next 24 hours”.

The US president said he and the prime minister “get along well” despite Sir Keir being “liberal, which is a little bit different from me”.

“But I think he’s a very good person,” Mr Trump said. “I think he’s done a very good job thus far.

“He’s represented his country in terms of his philosophy. I may not agree with his philosophy but I have a very good relationship with him.”

Sir Keir previously met Mr Trump for dinner at Trump Tower in New York in September, before he was elected president for a second time, and has held two pre-inauguration calls with him.

Mr Trump told reporters on Air Force One that his first international trip could be to the UK or Saudi Arabia – the first country he travelled to as president during his first term.

The US president said “traditionally it could be UK”, but last time he travelled to Saudi Arabia because it agreed to buy billions of dollars of US merchandise.

“If that offer were right, I’d do that again,” he said.

Mr Trump’s warm remarks about Sir Keir were at odds with those of billionaire Elon Musk, who has played a starring role in his second presidency so far, and has repeatedly called for the prime minister to be replaced.

Reversal of Biden’s halt on 2,000lb bombs for Israel

Mr Trump also said he had instructed the US military to reverse an order from former president Joe Biden halting the supply of heavy 2,000lb bombs to Israel.

“They paid for them and they’ve been waiting for them for a long time,” Mr Trump said about the munitions.

Mr Biden had paused delivery of the bombs to Israel over concerns about the impact they could have on civilians during Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.

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Trump says Egypt and Jordan should take more Palestinians from Gaza

Mr Trump also said Egypt and Jordan should take more Palestinians from Gaza and when asked if it was a temporary or long-term suggestion, he replied: “Could be either.”

Speaking of his call to Jordan’s King Abdullah on Saturday, the president said: “I said to him I’d love you to take on more because I’m looking at the whole Gaza Strip right now and it’s a mess, it’s a real mess. I’d like him to take people.”

“I’d like Egypt to take people,” he added, saying he would speak to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al Sisi on Sunday.

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He said the Palestinian enclave was “literally a demolition site, almost everything is demolished and people are dying there”, adding: “So I’d rather get involved with some of the Arab nations and build housing at a different location where they can maybe live in peace for a change.”

President fires inspectors general at several agencies

Mr Trump also confirmed he had fired 17 independent inspectors general at several government agencies and said he would “put good people in there that will be very good”.

Inspectors generally act as an independent check on mismanagement and abuse of power inside US government agencies, and while they are appointed by the president, they are expected to be nonpartisan and some serve presidents from both parties.

It comes after the US State Department ordered a freeze on new funding for almost all American foreign development assistance following an executive order issued by Mr Trump.