British Prime Minister Theresa May has congratulated Donald Trump. For many in Britain, his election is a shock similar to the result of the UK’s referendum vote to leave the European Union. CCTV's Natalie Powell reports from London.

Comparisons to the Brexit vote are perhaps inevitable. Both the election of Donald Trump and the outcome of the UK’s referendum on its membership of the EU have taken pollsters by surprise. Both were divisive campaigns and both included issues like immigration and trade deals. It’s fitting then that the man who led Brexit Campaigns, Nigel Farage, of the UK Independence Party was one of the first to congratulate Donald Trump on his election.

Meanwhile many in the British government are now having to back-pedal on comments previously made about Mr Trump, especially after his outburst in which he said police in London were too afraid to visit certain parts of the capital because of radicalisation. British Prime Minister Theresa May says the UK and US will work together and maintain their special relationship.

"I congratulate Donald Trump on being elected as the next president of the United States. Britain and the United States are and will remain strong and close partners on trade, security and defence. We have a long-standing and enduring special relationship which is built on shared values of freedom and democracy and enterprise and I look forward to working with President-Elect Trump to ensure that we can maintain the security and prosperity of our two nations in the future."

While it may be easy to draw comparisons between the Brexit vote and the 2016 US presidential election, there is one significant difference Americans will vote again in four years. In the meantime she'll hope a Trump administration is open to moving quickly on a UK-US trade deal once Britain's left the EU.