THE UK’s Foreign Secretary has denied fueling conspiracy theories about the US election as he reluctantly accepted all votes must be counted in a democratic election.

In an extraordinary television interview, Dominic Raab repeatedly refused to state that all ballots should be tallied.

It comes after Donald Trump made baseless claims about voter fraud. The outgoing US president launched legal challenges in a desperate attempt to stop heavily pro-Democrat mail-in ballots from being counted in key battleground states.

Joe Biden has won the election, sealing victory in his home state of Pennsylvania.

Tory chiefs eventually offered their congratulations last night on Twitter, having initially refused to comment – not even to condemn Trump’s false claims. Raab came under fire after stating “processes are still playing out” in his congratulations to Biden.

READ MORE: Joe Biden remembers Boris Johnson's 'racist comments' about Barack Obama

Appearing on Sky News' Sophy Ridge On Sunday, he was asked whether he was fuelling conspiracists.

The Foreign Secretary replied: "No, I think that's a very partisan skew on it. The reality is we want to respect the integrity and processes in place.

"It is not for us to start adjudicating on the appeals, claims and counter-claims. But what we have said is the result is now very clear. I think it is beyond reasonable doubt, in my view.

"Frankly there are those who want to criticise the UK at this point in time, come what may, on whatever we say and whatever this Government says, but I'm going to focus on the substance.

"People complain about interference in our politics here – I think it is right to tread carefully and sensitively, particularly after what was clearly a very close election, far closer than the media or the pundits expected, and has been contentious in all sorts of ways.

"So, we proceeded sensitively and carefully, we wanted to respect the process, but we look forward to working with the new administration."

Raab was then asked to state simply that all votes should be counted in a democratic election.

He initially refused, saying: “Look I’m not going to get drawn into opining on what is a different system in the US.”

After being pushed several more times, Raab eventually conceded: "Look in principle, yes of course”, adding: “although I'm not going to get drawn into..."

Pressed on why he did not say this originally, the Foreign Secretary added: "Because what you're really trying to do is to drag me into the legal claims about whether or not all the votes have properly been counted when you look at the mail votes, the votes in person and the claims that have been made, for example, about the posting of military ballots - so I just don't want to get sucked into that."

READ MORE: Cowardly Number 10 refuses to say if all US election votes should be counted

Raab continued: "I think what we do is wait until the result is clear beyond doubt, it is now.

"We welcome President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris, we're looking forward to working with them.

"We really don't want to get drawn into the cut and thrust, the controversies, the claims, the counter-claims, either in the election or in the immediate aftermath, and that is we respect Americans' rights to choose for themselves and we respect the checks and balances in the American system which will produce, as they have, a clear result."

The Foreign Secretary was condemned by SNP MP Neil Gray.

He tweeted: “British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab repeatedly refusing to answer whether all votes should be counted in a democratic election on #Ridge @SophyRidgeSky. That issue should not have any political equivocation, it should be fact. This UKGov has same worldview as outgoing US admin.”