minister to

He highlighted the increased costs for councils from inflation, wages and demand for local services and urged the minister to ensure they did not have to close libraries, cut bus routes or reduce road repairs as a result.

Sir Keir is not the first prime minister to make what appears to be a straightforward promise on immigration.

"As we move towards a better future I am committed as first minister to moving beyond old limits and building bridges."

Nigel Farage, Reform UK leader and a friend of Trump, said the president-elect was a "genuine friend of the United Kingdom" and urged the prime minister to "roll out the red carpet" for him.

Meanwhile, the political situation has been further complicated after calls by Núñez Feijóo for the prime minister to declare a national state of emergency, which would centralise management of the crisis in Madrid, wresting powers from Valencia’s regional government.