Nigel Farage willing to work with Lord Mandelson to secure Trump trade deal
Downing Street would not be drawn on whether Keir Starmer would like Lord Mandelson to work with Farage, but No 10 insiders have made clear he will not be used as a bridge between the PM and Donald Trump
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Your support makes all the difference.Nigel Farage has said he would be willing to help incoming ambassador to the US Peter Mandelson negotiate with the Trump administration.
Labour peer Lord Mandelson has indicated he believes the Reform UK leader, a friend of Donald Trump, could serve as a link between the British government and the Republican president-elect.
Downing Street would not be drawn on whether Sir Keir Starmer would like Lord Mandelson to work with Mr Farage, saying when asked only that the prime minister had āalready started to begin to build a relationship with president-elect Trumpā. But No 10 insiders have made clear Mr Farage will not be being used as a bridge between Sir Keir and Mr Trump.
I am no fan of any of the people in the Labour Party, but if it is in the national interest I have always thought I could be a useful asset if they want to use that ā but if they donāt, more fool them
Mr Farage has previously offered to use his relationship with Mr Trump and his team to act as a bridge between them and the UK government.
He told The Telegraph he would be willing to work with people in the Labour Party if it was in the ānational interestā.
āI am no fan of any of the people in the Labour Party, but if it is in the national interest I have always thought I could be a useful asset if they want to use that ā but if they donāt, more fool them,ā the Clacton MP said.
Mr Farage said he could help with talks on trade, tariffs, intelligence-sharing and counterterrorism because āa lot of the members of the presidentās cabinet are friends of mine, and many of them long-term friendsā.
He said: āI know these people, and in terms of trade, in terms of defence and in terms of intelligence, the US is our most important relationship in the world ā forget Brussels.ā
He said free trade deal talks were likely to be done sector by sector.
āI would help even if it is to the governmentās benefit because it is in the national interest. But they are so split they might not want to take up my offer.ā
Lord Mandelson will take up the role in early 2025.
His trade experience is seen as a strength amid concerns over what the second Trump presidency could mean for the UK, with the Republican politician having pledged to introduce wide-ranging tariffs.
However, the Labour grandeeās past remarks about Mr Trump ā who he once described as ālittle short of a white nationalist and racistā ā may yet plague attempts to foster close US-UK relations.
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