British Prime Minister Theresa May spoke to President-elect Donald Trump early Thursday to congratulate him on his “hard-fought election campaign and victory.”

Mr. Trump, in turn, said the United Kingdom is “a very, very special place for me and our country” and invited Ms. May to visit him as soon as possible after he takes office in January.

The British Embassy in Washington said Mr. Trump told Ms. May “he very much looked forward to working with the prime minister and congratulated her on her recent appointment.”

Mr. Trump “set out his close and personal connections with, and warmth for, the UK. He said he was confident that the special relationship would go from strength to strength,” the statement said.

With regard to Britain’s vote to leave the European Union last spring, President Obama had said the U.K. would need to go to the end of the line when the U.S. was considering new trade deals. Mr. Trump indicated that attitude might change when he takes office.

The prime minister and Mr. Trump “agreed that the US-UK relationship was very important and very special, and that building on this would be a priority for them both,” the embassy said.

Ms. May told Mr. Trump she is committed “to building and expanding the UK’s relationships around the world, particularly after the referendum vote, and the importance of our partnership with the U.S.”

“She noted President-elect Trump’s commitment in his acceptance speech to uniting people across America, which she said is a task we all need to focus on globally,” the embassy said. “The prime minister said that we have a long history of shared values and added that she looked forward to that continuing in the future.”

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