Foreign Secretary William Hague has hailed the "unbreakable alliance" between Britain and the USA following talks with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Washington.

On his first trip abroad since being appointed to head the Foreign Office on Tuesday, Mr Hague said the US was "without doubt the most important ally of the UK" and welcomed President Barack Obama's description of the "extraordinary special relationship" between the two countries.

In a joint press conference following talks dominated by Afghanistan, Iran and the economic crisis in the eurozone, Mrs Clinton said she was "very intrigued" by the outcome of last week's election in the UK.

And she said the Obama administration was looking forward to "working with the new British Government".

"We will continue to build on the deep and abiding trust that exists between the British and American people for a very long time," said Mrs Clinton.