Britain ‘welcomes’ Erdogan re-election

BRITAIN looks forward to continuing a “close association” with Turkey following the re-election of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Theresa May’s official spokesman has said.

Mr Erdogan, pictured, was elected on Sunday for a further five-year term as president under new constitutional arrangements which give him new executive powers and make him head of government as well as head of state.

Second-placed presidential contender Muharrem Ince accepted the result but warned that Turkey had “cut off its ties with democratic values” and become “a one-man regime”. Responding to the election result, Mrs May’s official spokesman said: “Turkey and the UK have a wide range of shared interests, including regional security, counter-terrorism and bilateral trade and investment.

“We will work with President Erdogan and his Government to develop this important bilateral relationship.” Mrs May visited Mr Erdogan in Ankara in 2017, where she agreed a £100 million deal to help develop fighter jets for the Turkish air force.

She welcomed the Turkish president to the UK on a state visit last month. PROVOCATIVE street artist Banksy is believed to have taken his message on migration to Paris. Seven works attributed to the graffiti artist have been discovered, including one near a former centre for migrants.