Donald Trump has told Theresa May he wants to revive the close transatlantic bond enjoyed by Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan.

The controversial US President-elect launched a charm offensive during a ten-minute phone call with the Prime Minister yesterday, telling her Britain is 'a very, very special place for me and our country'.

Mr Trump invited Mrs May to visit him in Washington 'as soon as possible'. And – in a boost for hopes of a post-Brexit trade deal – Downing Street sources said the tycoon also talked of his hope of reviving the close UK-US relationship that dominated the West throughout the 1980s.

The controversial US President-elect launched a charm offensive during a ten-minute phone call with the Prime Minister yesterday

Mr Trump invited Mrs May to visit him in Washington 'as soon as possible'

Former US President Ronald Reagan dancing with Margaret Thatcher (left) during his inaugural ball in 1984 at the White House. Thatcher again with Reagan in 1990 at Claridges, in London

'The President-elect made it clear he is keen to have a good personal relationship,' a source said. 'He used the Reagan-Thatcher relationship as his reference point.'

The apparent warmth of the call spared Downing Street's blushes after it emerged Mr Trump had called nine other world leaders, including those of Egypt, Ireland and Australia, before speaking to Mrs May.

As the reverberations of Mr Trump's unlikely victory continued to spread around the world yesterday:

■A former Nato chief warned that his triumph could spark the 'beginning of the end' for the transatlantic security pact that has kept the peace for decades, unless he uses his first 100 days to show he is willing to stand up to Russia;

■China warned Mr Trump against sparking a trade war that would damage the world economy. His threat to impose stiff tariffs prompted threats of 'countermeasures' by Beijing;

Ronald Reagan with Margaret Thatcher review an honor guard during a welcoming ceremony for the former Prime Minister on the White House lawn in Washington, D.C in 1988

The apparent warmth of the call spared Downing Street's blushes after it emerged Mr Trump (pictured with wife Melania) had called nine other world leaders before speaking to Mrs May

■Mr Trump and Barack Obama posed awkwardly for the cameras after talks at the White House. Officials were forced to deny that Michelle Obama had cancelled the traditional photograph of the first family and their successors;

■Demonstrations against Mr Trump broke out in cities across the US, with protesters chanting 'not my president'.

■Britain moved to exploit European divisions over Mr Trump by seeking to build early relationships with the new regime. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson told EU leaders it was 'time to snap out of the doom and gloom'.

Whitehall initially appeared to be caught flat-footed by Mr Trump's victory, and faced embarrassment after it emerged that a string of world leaders had beaten Mrs May ito speak to the man now heading for the White House.

Chancellor Philip Hammond defended the delay, saying the two leaders had 'no urgent business' to discuss. Downing Street insiders insisted it had simply taken a while to co-ordinate the diaries of the pair.

The President-elect is keen to have a good personal relationship with Mrs May, a source said

THE BOND THAT REALLY WAS A SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP Ronald Reagan walks with Margaret Thatcher during the G7 Summit in Toronto in 1988 During the Thatcher years, the special relationship between Britain and America was elevated to new heights. Margaret Thatcher’s bond with Ronald Reagan was said to have defined her premiership. From the moment they met – in 1975 at the House of Commons when he was governor of California and she was the leader of the Opposition – they bonded and were said to have agreed on almost everything. ‘Mr President’ and ‘Madam Prime Minister’ were replaced by ‘Dear Ron’ and ‘Dear Margaret’. They danced together on a number of state occasions – most famously following a dinner given in her honour at the White House in November 1988. She was Mr Reagan’s most prolific correspondent among heads of state and they exchanged hundreds of letters, messages and telephone calls. Reagan’s last official act as President of the United States on January 11, 1989, was to sign a letter of thanks and appreciation to Lady Thatcher, then beginning her last two years in Downing Street. Advertisement

When the call was finally arranged at 1.45pm it was surprisingly warm. No 10 said the two leaders described the UK-US relationship as 'very important and very special'. A spokesman added: 'President-elect Trump set out his close and personal connections with, and warmth for, the UK. He said he was confident the special relationship would go from strength to strength.'

Mrs May 'highlighted her wish to strengthen bilateral trade and investment with the US as we leave the EU'.

She also urged Mr Trump to follow through on his pledge to work to heal the divisions that poisoned a brutal presidential elections campaign.

EU capitals have reacted to Mr Trump's victory with what one Government insider described as a 'collective nervous breakdown'.

The EU has called an emergency summit in Brussels on Sunday to discuss future relations with the US. Senior German politicians have warned the result, coupled with Brexit, could fuel populist revolts across Europe.

But Mr Johnson, who was due to speak to Mr Trump's running mate Mike Pence last night, told EU leaders to calm down, saying: 'It's time we were positive about this. I say to my European colleagues that it is time we snap out of this doom and gloom and whinge-arama.

'He's a deal-maker and we should seize the opportunities.'