Nigel Farage humiliates No10 after meeting Donald Trump with his ‘Brex pistols’ and claims team have ‘reservations’ about UK government
He said the billionaire's aides had noted scathing remarks from some Cabinet Ministers
NIGEL FARAGE humiliated No.10 yesterday by saying it was in the “national interest” for him to broker a Brexit deal with the US after stunning talks with Donald Trump.
And he twisted the knife after an astonishing hour long sit down with the President Elect by claiming some of the American's top team had "reservations" about Theresa May's Government.
Dominating the airwaves after becoming the first overseas politician to meet Donald Trump he said the billionaire's aides had noted scathing remarks from some Cabinet Ministers.
He said: "Believe you me, his team are conscious of the comments."
The UKIP chief and his top aides had an audience with the billionaire at the garish Trump Tower in New York on Saturday night. Afterwards the UKIP group tweeted pictures branding themselves the ‘Brex Pistols’.
Mr Farage insisted Mr Trump was “very gracious” towards Theresa May in their conversation and that he and his team were “Anglophiles”. He added the President-Elect was keen on moving a famous bust of Winston Churchill back into the Oval Office.
But he warned No.10 that disparaging remarks about Mr Trump during the campaign by senior Tory officials had been noted and he would be needed as a go-between to “mend fences”.
He said: “There are very senior staff members in No.10 who were rude about Mr Trump and took an entirely negative view on me being here.
“In the national interest they should bury their enmity and we should have a constructive conversation." One Government source said it appeared "churlish" to ignore Mr Farage given his contacts.
And David Cameron’s former trade envoy Lord Marland appeared to warm to the idea, saying any manufacturer “would use its best salesman to try and help get a market for them”.
But former Cabinet Minister Iain Duncan Smith stormed: “From what I’ve seen of Nigel Farage he doesn’t fly by aircraft, he flies by ego.
“If he’s so keen to get a job with us let’s hope it’s a good one – like our representative in Outer Mongolia.” Downing Street has repeatedly slapped down any idea of using the UKIP chief, branding him “irrelevant”. A spokesman refused to comment yesterday.
And Crispin Blunt the chair of the cross-party Foreign Affairs Select Committee, yesterday insisted it was “completely implausible” the UKIP leader would take up any intermediary role.
He said: “I think there’s a fantastic opportunity actually for a decent relationship for the United Kingdom with the new administration – and no need for Nigel.”
Trade Secretary Liam Fox was last week reported to have suggested using Nigel Farage in some capacity given his close links with Mr Trump.
But Downing Street killed off the suggestion- branding Mr Farage "irrelevant".
Lib Dem chief Tim Farron said the meeting was a “humiliation” for Mrs May – who was only the tenth leader to be called by Mr Trump after his Election victory.
He said: “Theresa May’s government has gone out of its way to be nice to Mr Trump and its gets thrown back in their faces”.
Separately yesterday, a leaked memo by Britain’s ambassador in the US insisted the UK had better links than most countries with the Trump administration.
Kim Darroch – slammed last week for ignoring the chances of a Trump victory – wrote that the UK was “well placed” to shape the President Elect’s foreign policy.
The SNP last night said it would be demanding the Government to come clean on whether Nigel Farage’s trip was backed by any Tory Minister.