Theresa May has said that she finds outspoken President-elect Donald Trump "very easy to talk to", despite having criticised him during the US elections.

The Prime Minister’s compliment forms part of her on-going drive to build relations with the new administration, after a rocky start in which she and other senior Tories have tried to move on from previous derogatory comments.

Speaking during a visit to Bahrain, Ms May said: "What I have found with Donald Trump is that he is somebody who very much values the relationship he has with the UK.

"When we've talked that's been one of the key things we've talked about, is the depth of our special relationship, and the fact that we both want to ensure that we obviously maintain that, but we also build on that for the future."

Asked how she found the President-elect, Ms May said: "Very easy to talk to."

During his election campaign when Mr Trump called for a ban on Muslims entering the US and claimed parts of London were no-go areas for the police, Ms May as Home Secretary said: "I just think it shows he does not understand the UK and what happens in the UK."

Theresa May insists 'special relationship' with US will continue

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, then London Mayor, went further and said: "I think Donald Trump is clearly out of his mind if he thinks that's a sensible way to proceed, to ban people going to the United States in that way, or to any country.

"What he's doing is playing the game of the terrorists and those who seek to divide us. That's exactly the kind of reaction they hope to produce.

"I think he's betraying a quite stupefying ignorance that makes him frankly unfit to hold the office of President of the United States. I would invite him to come and see the whole of London and take him round the city - except I wouldn't want to expose any Londoners to any unnecessary risk of meeting Donald Trump. The only reason I wouldn't go to some parts of New York is the real risk of meeting Donald Trump."

But when global politics was turned on its head by Mr Trump’s victory, Downing Street was embarrassed after he chose to speak to a string of other world leaders before calling Ms May.

He then made Nigel Farage the first British politician he met, before breaking all diplomatic convention to suggest the Ukip politician replace the UK’s existing Washington ambassador.