London  - The British Labour government and opposition parties Wednesday hailed as "inspirational" the victory of Barack Obama in the American presidential election which they hope will open a new era in the much-vaunted "special relationship" between Britain and the US.

"This is a moment that will live in history as long as history books are written," Prime Minister Gordon Brown said. "I have talked to Senator Obama on many occasions and I know that he is a true friend of Britain," he added.

Brown, who met Obama during his whistlestop tour of Europe at the end of July, has made little secret of his admiration for the then Democrat candidate, describing him as "terrific."

Brown, who took over from ex-prime minister Tony Blair in June, 2007, hopes that the Obama victory will reinstate Britain as a "full partner" of the US, following the much-criticized close alliance between Blair and George W Bush, in which Blair was often portrayed as "America's poodle."

Brown Wednesday praised Obama's "energizing politics, progressive values and vision for the future," and stressed that both men shared the "determination to show that government can act to help people fairly through these difficult times facing the global economy."

The relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom is vital to our prosperity and security," read Brown's statement. And I look forward to working extremely closely with him in the coming months and years."

Brown, who has taken a lead in Europe in battling with the current global financial and economic crisis, hopes to forge close links with a Democratic Obama administration over handling the fallout from the global crisis.

The British leader hopes that his long years of experience in the field of finance and economics could make him "something of a mentor" for the new leader of the free world, government "insiders" were quoted as saying.

Sources said the British leader was "keen to have some face time" with Obama ahead of the international financial summit in Washington in mid-November, and hopes to be at the front of the queue of European leaders to be received in an Obama White House.

"I know that the values we share in common and the policies we work on together will enable us ... to come through these difficult economic times and build a safer and more secure society for the future."

On Iraq, the British government hopes that an Obama adminstration would give it the necessary "cover" to withdraw British troops from southern Iraq.

While the two men disagreed on going into Iraq, they would probably agree on an exit strategy, one analyst said.

An even more serious test for relations was being posed by Afghanistan, where Obama was likely to urge an increase in British troop levels, especially if other NATO allies remained reluctant to increase their commitment.

Conservative opposition leader David Cameron, who will be Brown's likely challenger in Britain's next general election, to be held by May, 2010, said Obama was "the first of a new generation of world leaders."

Cameron, 42, said America had made history by electing Obama and "proved to the world that it is a nation eager for change."

"This has been an exciting and inspirational contest with two great candidates. In these difficult times people everywhere are crying out for change. Barack Obama is the first of a new generation of leaders who will deliver it - he has my whole-hearted congratulations," said Cameron.

Nick Clegg, leader of the smaller Liberal Democrat opposition party, combined his congratulations for Obama with the call for a "radical new approach" by the US to issues such as climate change, the global economy and "threats to our collective security."

"The world will not succeed in this era of globalization without the leadership of the new American President," said Clegg. The Bush era had to be left "firmly behind." (dpa)