Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

As it happenedended

Trump UK visit: Farage meets president as Tory leader hopefuls reject Trump’s demand NHS is opened to US firms

'Comprehensive' trade deal promised as US leader suggests American involvement in healthcare a possibility

Donald Trump says NHS is 'on the table' in post-Brexit trade deal

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Donald Trump has insisted the NHS would be “on the table” in any post-Brexit trade talks. “When you’re dealing with trade everything is on the table. So NHS or anything else, a lot more than that,” the US president said at a press conference with Theresa May.

He earlier promised, not for the first time, a “very substantial” post-Brexit trade deal with the UK as he met Ms May on the second day of his state visit, following a lavish royal banquet at Buckingham Palace. The leaders also discussed the role of Huawei in the UK’s 5G network.

Meanwhile, Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage has said he had a “good meeting” with the president at the US ambassador’s residence and that Mr Trump “really believes in Brexit”.

Mr Farage was photographed being driven into Winfield House on Tuesday afternoon.

He later tweeted: “Good meeting with President Trump - he really believes in Brexit and is loving his trip to London.”

Mr Farage has campaigned for years to take Britain out of the European Union and is one of Trump’s most prominent British supporters. The president has called him a friend.

Mr Farage’s newly founded Brexit Party was the big winner in last month’s European Parliament elections in Britain, scooping up support from voters angry that the UK has not left the EU.

He has criticised the prime minister's divorce deal with the bloc and said Britain should leave the EU without an agreement.

Mr Trump praised Ms May’s handling of Brexit on Tuesday, saying she had gotten a good deal.

Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events

Additional reporting by AP. Please allow a moment for the live blog to load

Chris Stevenson4 June 2019 17:58

Nigel Farage has finished his meeting with Mr Trump, saying the US leader is "loving" his trip to London.

Mr Farage said the pair had a "good meeting" and the president "really believes in Brexit".

Chris Stevenson4 June 2019 18:07

A few hundred people have gathered outside Glasgow Royal Concert Hall to protest against Donald Trump's visit to the UK.

Many held placards from Stand Up To Racism and the Unison union, with speakers on the Buchanan Street steps criticising comments made by the US president.

One person held aloft a homemade sign saying: "Trump - Feed Him To The Corgis."

Chris Stevenson4 June 2019 18:18

Nigel Farage has been talking about his meeting with Donald Trump, Brexit and potential US-UK trade deals on his LBC show.

At the top of his programme, Farage said he had received a “private invitation” to see Trump and said the president was pleased with how the state visit was going.

“I think most people will agree yesterday went very, very well. Certainly Donald Trump was very pleased with it,” Farage said.

He went on: “Clearly, it was a private meeting but what I can say is he was in top form, he was ebullient. He absolutely believes in Brexit, thinks it’s the right thing for the country to do. He's obviously concerned it's taking a very long time.”

“My big take from that meeting is that America is prepared for [potential trade deals], but we aren’t,” he added.

The Brexit Party leader also said Jeremy Corbyn “has not behaved in a prime ministerial way” by speaking to anti-Trump protesters. Farage accused the Labour leader of “student union” politics.

Adam Forrest4 June 2019 18:24

More from Nigel Farage on his meeting with Donald Trump.

The Brexit Party chief said he got the impression that the US was ready to do a post-Brexit trade deal with the UK but that the government were unprepared. “The Americans are very, very prepared for their side of the negotiation.”

He claimed the president and US ambassador Woody Johnson told him the US team had a 13-chapter plan “where they have pretty much completed the work”.

“When I asked the extent to which the British were ready for this, I got the impression we are pretty much behind the curve all the way.”

Adam Forrest4 June 2019 18:29

The Brexit Party leader also claimed Donald Trump had said some nice things about Tory leadership hopefuls at his meeting this afternoon.

“He said complimentary things about Jeremy Hunt and he said some complimentary things about Boris Johnson,” said Nigel Farage.

Adam Forrest4 June 2019 18:37

Here’s our reporter Tom Batchelor on the clashes between pro and anti-Trump supporters in London today. A small group of counter-demonstrators were briefly trapped inside the Lord Moon of the Mall pub.

Adam Forrest4 June 2019 18:43

Is Donald Trump meeting everyone in the Tory party during his three-day visit? Former cabinet ministers Iain Duncan Smith and Owen Paterson said they had met the US president today.

A spokeswoman for Duncan Smith said the meeting had “been in the offing for a while”. Apparently the meeting “covered a whole range of subjects including Brexit”.

The president is also expected to meet Tory leadership hopefuls Michael Gove and Jeremy Hunt, and has had a phone conversation with Boris Johnson during his trip.

Adam Forrest4 June 2019 18:52

Former cabinet ministers Iain Duncan Smith and Owen Paterson have also met Donald Trump.

A spokeswoman for former Tory leader Mr Duncan Smith said the meeting had "been in the offing for a while".

The meeting "covered a whole range of subjects including Brexit".

Chris Stevenson4 June 2019 19:01

With Donald Trump set to meet two Tory leadership hopefuls tomorrow, the party has announced exactly when the winning candidate is expected to be in 10 Downing Street.

Adam Forrest4 June 2019 19:06

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in