Obama congratulates British PM Cameron on ‘impressive’ victory

President Obama on Friday congratulated British Prime Minister David Cameron on his “impressive electoral victory.”

Obama said he has “enjoyed working closely with Prime Minister Cameron” and looks “forward to continuing to strengthen the bonds between our countries as we work together on behalf of global peace, security and prosperity,” in a statement.

The president also acknowledged “the special and essential relationship” between the United States and the United Kingdom. 

Obama later called Cameron to personally congratulate him, according to the White House. 

{mosads}Cameron’s Conservative Party defied pre-election polls and pulled off a decisive victory against the Labour Party in Thursday’s vote, picking up a majority of seats in the 650-seat Parliament.

Obama and Cameron have a close personal relationship. Their friendship is strong enough that the British leader said earlier this year the president calls him “bro” when the two speak on the phone. They also attended a March Madness college basketball game together in 2012. 

The two leaders have collaborated on a range of international issues, including nuclear negotiations with Iran, fighting the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, and responding to Russia’s military intervention in Ukraine. 

But the British election also pitted two of Obama’s former top political advisers against one another. The president’s 2012 campaign manager Jim Messina advised the conservative Tories while former White House senior adviser David Axelrod consulted for the Labour Party.

This story was updated at 3:41 p.m.