Ohio Senator and Donald Trump's pick for vice president, JD Vance, has claimed the UK could become the first “truly Islamist country to get a nuclear weapon” following Labour’s election win.

Trump’s new running mate made the remarks at the National Conservatism conference last week.

Vance, who is reported to have converted to Catholicism in 2019 told the audience:

"I have to beat up on the UK, just one additional thing. I was talking with a friend recently, and we were talking about one of the big dangers in the world of course is nuclear proliferation, and of course the Biden administration doesn't care about it.

"And I was talking about, you know, what is the first truly Islamist country that will get a nuclear weapon? And we were like, 'maybe it is Iran, maybe Pakistan already kind of counts', and then we sort of finally decided maybe it's actually the UK - since Labour just took over."

Former president Donald Trump, whom Vance once described as an "idiot" and "America's Hitler", announced his place on the presidential ticket on Monday.

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner rejected Vance's comments, telling ITV that she "did not recognise" his characterisation of Britain.

"We won votes across all different communities, across the whole of the country, and we’re interested in governing on behalf of Britain and also working with our international allies,” she added.

James Murray, exchequer secretary to the Treasury, told Sky News he didn't "understand" the US senator's comments and emphasised that the UK's strong relationship with the US is crucial for security and economic growth.