Republicans have spoken out in support of Theresa May after Donald Trump made a jibe at the Prime Minister in an ongoing transatlantic row over his sharing of far-right tweets.

The US president lashed out at the British Prime Minister after her office took the unusual step of issuing a strong statement saying Mr Trump was "wrong" to promote the material.

Mr Trump wrote on Twitter: "@Theresa_May, don’t focus on me, focus on the destructive Radical Islamic Terrorism that is taking place within the United Kingdom. We are doing just fine!"

Republican Orrin Hatch, the Senate's longest serving Republican, said: “PM @theresa_may is one of the great world leaders, I have incredible love and respect for her and for the way she leads the United Kingdom, especially in the face of turbulence.”

The Utah senator visited Mrs May at Downing Street last week and shared a picture of his trip with the tweet.

Senior Republican senator John McCain has also chimed in, saying he was "surprised" at the president's tweets.