Theresa May launches veiled criticism of Donald Trump

The PM suggested she did not approve of the way Mr Trump had conducted his campaign

Mr Trump is running Ms Clinton closely in the polls (Getty)

Theresa May has launched a veiled criticism of Donald Trump, a day before Americans go to the polls to pick their next president.

The Prime Minister suggested that she disapproved of the way Mr Trump, the Republican candidate for president, had conducted his election campaign

Mr Trump has stood for election on a far-right political platform, initially pledging to ban Muslims from entering the United States in conjunction with a programme of mass deportations.

His stock and trade during the campaign has been making baseless accusations about his rival and critics on a scale not seen before in recent American politics.

During a trade mission to India this weekend Ms May was asked whether she approved of people burning effigies of Mr Trump at bonfire night celebrations on 5 November.

She replied: “I take a simple view about the way I like to see campaigns being conducted.

“I like them to be conducted in a calm and measured way with proper consideration of the issues.”

Theresa May at 10 Downing Street (REUTERS)

Despite the apparent criticism of Mr Trump’s modus operandi the Prime Minister however said that the result of the election was “up to the American people”.

Ms May’s subtle intervention comes just weeks after Michael Fallon, the Defence Secretary, refused to condemn Mr Trump for saying that he used his fame to get away with groping women’s genitalia.

“We have to be very careful not to comment on other people’s elections, because we have to respect democracy and we have to work with whoever wins. I’m not going to intervene in the US election,” Mr Fallon said when asked to criticise Mr Trump at the start of October.

Despite Ms May’s implicit criticism and Mr Fallon’s warning to keep their distance, some Conservatives have been unable to resist apparently endorsing Mr Trump.

Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith said in June that the candidate was a “very decent man” and did not rule out voting for him.

Philip Davies, the MP for Shipley, also said he would vote for Mr Trump “in a heartbeat” because Hillary Clinton, his rival “kept going on about the fact she’s a woman”.

Polls suggest British voters would overwhelmingly back Ms Clinton for the US presidential job – as would the voters of nearly all countries outside the United States.