Nigel Farage today repeated his offer to ‘mend fences’ between Labour and Donald Trump ahead of his return to the White House.
The Reform UK leader hailed Mr Trump’s historic US election victory as a ‘great opportunity’ for Britain.
But he blasted senior Labour figures for their ‘diplomatic stupidity’ in having hurled insults at Mr Trump during his first term in office.
Mr Farage said he would act to foster relations between the UK Government and the incoming US administration ‘in the national interest’.
It came as former foreign secretary Jack Straw supported the idea of Sir Keir Starmer using Mr Farage as a backchannel to Mr Trump’s team.
Speaking at Reform UK’s Welsh conference in Newport, Mr Farage praised Mr Trump as a ‘pro-British’ president.
‘To have a president that is pro-British after four years of the ghastly [Joe] Biden is a great opportunity for our nation,’ he said.
‘Whether a Labour Party that has people like [London mayor] Sadiq Khan in it who has waged a 10-year feud.
‘Or a Foreign Secretary like David Lammy who has said the most disobliging things.
‘Or a Labour Party that sent 100 of its staffers to campaign for Kamala Harris. Can you imagine a greater diplomatic stupidity than that?
‘So all I’ve said is that I have a relationship with Trump. But, equally, I will know well at least half of his incoming cabinet.
‘And I have said if I can in any way help to mend fences between this Labour administration and the incoming Trump administration that I will do so.
‘But not because I support a single thing this Labour Government is doing – in fact fewer and fewer people in the country support anything this Labour administration is doing – but I will do so because it is in the national interest.’
Prior to the American election, Mr Farage dismissed suggestions he could become Britain’s US ambassador under a Trump presidency as he was now an MP.
But Mr Straw, who was foreign secretary under former Labour prime minister Tony Blair, suggested Sir Keir could still use Mr Farage as a go-between to Mr Trump.
‘In principle, given Nigel Farage’s close personal relationship with Mr Trump, it would be silly to dismiss possibly helpful communication he may have to offer,’ he told the i newspaper.
He added: ‘If there was a silly disagreement [between Starmer and Trump], then it may, frankly, be in his [Farage’s] interest to pick at the sore.
‘But in areas of national interest, I certainly wouldn’t rule out having private conversations with him [Farage].’