‘Send Nigel Farage to sort out Brexit mess’
DONALD Trump has said Nigel Farage should negotiate Brexit and the Government should be prepared to leave the EU with no deal.
Ahead of his three-day state visit he slammed the UK’s negotiating record saying it had left the EU “with all the cards”.
Mr Trump said leader of the Brexit Party Mr Farage – an arch critic of
Prime Minister Theresa May –
“has a lot to offer” in negotiations.
“Think how well they would do if they did,” he added. It is the second time he has broken with convention in the lead-up to the visit.
On Saturday the US President said Boris Johnson would be an “excellent” PM.
A potential meeting with Mr Farage will cause further embarrassment to Number 10.
And Buckingham Palace is understood to fear he could publicly back Brexit at a lavish state banquet tonight.
He has also advised to walk away if Britain does not get what it wants from EU negotiations. He said: “If you don’t get the deal you want, if you don’t get a fair deal, then you walk away.”
Mr Trump added, if he were in charge, he would not pay the EU divorce bill, and he claimed it is not too late to “sue” the EU to give Britain greater “ammunition”.
He said: “I wouldn’t pay 50 billion dollars... that is a tremendous number.”
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan called him “one of the most egregious examples of a growing global threat”, comparing the language he uses to that of “fascists of the 20th century”.
He criticised Mrs May for inviting him, saying: “Our Prime Minister is not willing to say boo to a goose.”
The PM described it as a “significant week for the special relationship”.
Government officials are bracing themselves for Mr Trump to cause a stir. An insider said: “We’re waiting with baited breath. Put on your seat belts.”