Sir Keir Starmer warned Donald Trump on Monday night that he would not side with America against the EU, despite calls from the president-elect’s allies to choose between Brussels and Washington.

In a major foreign policy speech, the Prime Minister said it was “plain wrong” to suggest that Mr Trump’s return to the White House meant Britain had to get closer either to Europe or the US.

He vowed instead to build bridges to both, promising to “invest more deeply than ever in this transatlantic bond with our American friends”, and to “rebuild our ties with Europe too”.

The speech included overtures to Mr Trump, with the Prime Minister stressing the need to prepare Ukraine for peace negotiations and calling on Europe to spend more on defence.

Since Mr Trump’s resounding victory in the US presidential election last month, there has been debate about whether Sir Keir must now embrace America or Europe.

Some of the Republican’s allies have waded into the argument, with Stephen Moore, his senior economic adviser, saying the UK must reject the EU’s “socialist model”.

Sir Keir has faced pressure from within his own party to reject Mr Trump and rebuild ties with the EU. However, in his speech to the Lord Mayor’s Banquet in London on Monday evening, the Prime Minister rejected the “either/or” choice.