(Reuters) - British Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump and has agreed to meet with him soon, the UK government said in a statement on Sunday.

Sir Keir Starmer and Donald Trump had a telephone conversation discussing the importance of UK-US ties, joint security efforts, and economic deregulation plans. Trump congratulated Starmer on his brother's passing and expressed respect for the Royal Family.

The talks came hours after the US president praised the Prime Minister for having done "a very good job thus far" and confirmed the pair were due to speak soon.

The talks came hours after Donald Trump gave an unexpectedly warm endorsement of Keir Starmer, saying 'I like him a lot' and he's done 'a very good job thus far'

Donald Trump has offered a surprise olive branch to the UK government, praising Keir Starmer for doing a "very good job thus far".

US President Donald Trump has said Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has done a "very good job thus far" and that the pair have a "very good relationship". Asked by the BBC on board Air Force One about his relationship with Sir Keir, Trump added that they would be having a call "over the next 24 hours".

Donald Trump and Sir Keir Starmer have held a phone call six days after the President returned to the White House, Downing Street has confirmed. Just hours after it emerged that the Prime Minister was forced to wait while Trump called the leaders of China,

Sir Keir Starmer and Donald Trump have spoken for the first time since the US president made his historic return to the White House. The prime minister got through to Washington on the phone just under a week after Trump’s inauguration,

While there were moments of true Trump fantasy - changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico, taking back the Panama Canal, life on Mars - compare and contrast the enthusiastic boosterism of President Donald Trump's speech on day one in the new job with that of Sir Keir Starmer back in July and his subsequent utterings.