Theresa May continues 'regular dialogue' in new phone chat with Donald Trump

Prime Minister Theresa May has had her second phone conversation with Donald Trump since his election as US president, agreeing that their national security advisers will meet in the US before the end of the year.

The two leaders also agreed to meet in person "at the earliest possible opportunity". But in an account of the conversation released by Downing Street there was no mention of when this might happen - and no mention of whether they discussed Mr Trump's controversial proposal that Nigel Farage could be made UK ambassador in Washington.

A Number 10 spokesman said Mrs May and Mr Trump agreed on the importance of the Nato military alliance and the need for members to meet the target of spending 2% of national income on defence, as both the US and UK do.

The spokesman said: "The Prime Minister called the US president-elect this afternoon as part of establishing a regular dialogue between both of them.

"They discussed how the president-elect's transition plans were progressing and agreed that their teams should continue to build close relationships through this period, including with a meeting of their national security advisers in the United States before Christmas.

"They discussed Nato, agreeing on the importance of the Alliance, the need for more Nato members to meet the target of spending 2% of GDP and the role that Nato can play in addressing diverse threats.

"They agreed to stay in close touch and to meet at the earliest possible opportunity."