Keir Starmer was quick to congratulate Donald Trump on his resounding victory but this cannot be the result he was hoping for.

The relentless and often over-the-top attacks made from the safety of opposition by many of his most senior ministers are now coming back to haunt the Prime Minister.

Labour’s decision to coordinate its own supporters who wanted to campaign for Kamala Harris did not help.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy has spent the last year cosying up to the Trump team to atone for describing the president as a “neo-Nazi” sympathiser and a racist.

Another Cabinet big-hitter, Wes Streeting, called Trump an “odious, sad little man” in 2017 and added “imagine being proud to have that as your president”.

Ed Miliband said he was a “racist, misogynistic, self-confessed groper” a year earlier.

There are many other examples, including from Sir Keir himself.

The PM has tried to smooth over the damage and a two hour dinner with President Trump earlier this year, which was also attended by Mr Lammy, is said to have gone well.

But The Donald is not known for being a man who takes kindly to personal attacks.

He now has the Labour government over a barrel. Sir Keir is in the position of constantly having to come close to grovelling to the Leader of the Free World to make up for past wrongs.

It would all have been so much easier for Sir Keir if Vice-President Harris had won.

All is not lost however. The Special Relationship, particularly long and deep security ties, has always endured regardless of the shade of government on either side of the Atlantic.

President Trump has a sentimental attachment to Britain as a result of his Scottish mother.

Perhaps most crucially, UK ambassador Dame Karen Pierce is absolutely plugged into the Trump camp.

In the run up to the general election, doubts were cast about her future in the role if Labour won.

But Sir Keir would be foolish to lose the formidable, colourful, popular diplomat at a time when she is needed most.