Nigel Farage claims Donald Trump ‘learned quite a lot from me’

The Reform UK leader said Donald Trump was watching his speeches in the Euroeapn Parliament before deciding to run for president

Nigel Farage has claimed former US president Donald Trump “learned a lot” from studying his speeches before he ran for office.

But the Reform UK leader has denied he was Britain’s version of Mr Trump, and said: “I think we’re very different but I think we think the same on many things.”

Mr Farage, who was speaking in an interview with ITV’s Tonight programme, added: “He’s learned quite a lot from me, I think it goes both ways … He was watching my speeches in the European Parliament for many years … before he decided to run.”

When asked if the former president had told him this, Mr Farage replied: “I know that to be true.”

Mr Farage is close to and has repeatedly praised Mr Trump.

Prior to his decision to join Reform UK earlier this month, the party’s candidate for Clacton had said he planned to help Mr Trump with his presidential campaign this year.

But he has since admitted: “If I’m elected the MP for Clacton, and I’m there every Friday … it’ll become more difficult but not impossible.”

Nigel Farage has claimed Donald Trump ‘learned a lot’ from studying the Reform UK leader’s speeches in the European Parliament before he ran for office (ITV Tonight)

On the interview, to be aired on Monday night, Mr Farage also repeated again his claim that the West “provoked” Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

The initial remarks from his interview with Nick Robinson on Friday has led to wide criticism from across the political spectrum. Home Secretary James Cleverly accused him of “echoing Putin”.

When asked how he would deal with Mr Putin, Mr Farage told ITV that Western leaders should pursue peace talks.

He said: “I think the number of lives being lost is horrific. There have been no sensible, substantive negotiations of any kind and even if negotiations to try and find a peace, to try and find a way through, fail, I think it’s better to have those negotiations than not.”

Mr Farage also told ITV he has an issue with migrants coming to Britain and continuing to speak their own language.

He said: “I have a huge problem with people coming to Britain, not assimilating, maintaining their own languages. You know, not mixing in communities. That is a disaster.”

Mr Farage was giving the interview as his party threatens to inflict further damage on the Tories, with polling suggesting Reform UK is catching up in terms of the share of a vote at the general election

Rishi Sunak has not been helped over the weekend by the growing betting scandal which Michael Gove described as damaging.