Nigel Farage has 'good meeting' with Donald Trump as President courts leadership hopefuls
Nigel Farage and Donald Trump met for talks in London today during the second day of the President’s state visit to the UK.
The Brexit Party leader was seen arriving at the US ambassador’s residence for discussions around 5pm.
Mr Farage tweeted shortly after about the ‘good meeting’.
Good meeting with President Trump – he really believes in Brexit and is loving his trip to London.
— Nigel Farage (@Nigel_Farage) June 4, 2019
It comes on a packed second day of the President’s trip which has seen the US President speak to Conservative leadership candidate Boris Johnson, as well as meeting outgoing leader Theresa May at 10 Downing Street for trade talks.
He has also been in contact with Tory leadership hopefuls Michael Gove and Jeremy Hunt to request meetings.
ITV’s Robert Peston revealed Mr Johnson was offered a meeting by the Trump camp but declined as it clashed with a Conservative Party hustings event.
The two are reported to have had a ‘friendly and productive’ 20-minute phone call.
.@BorisJohnson has had a 20 minute phone chat with @realDonaldTrump this morning but declined face-to-face meeting this evening because clashed with One Nation leadership hustings. See attached pic.twitter.com/3hk9yyY17w
— Robert Peston (@Peston) June 4, 2019
Sources close to Mr Gove said this morning he had been invited to talk with the US president, who is on a three-day state visit to the UK.
They told the Press Association: "Mr Gove was asked last night by Mr Trump's team if he would be able to meet the president today. He said yes.
"Nothing has been fixed yet."
The source indicated the meeting was likely to be on a one-to-one basis, which could prove embarrassing to Theresa May as her talks with the president are likely to involve senior ministers and officials rather than just the two leaders.
The meetings are a clear indiction that the White House is focusing its diplomatic efforts on the next Prime Minister as Theresa May concludes her premiership.
Ahead of the trip, Mr Trump had indicated he might meet Mr Johnson and Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage.
Sources close to the Brexit Party leader refused to be drawn on whether he would meet the president.
A “Trump baby” blimp and a 16ft talking robot of Mr Trump sitting on a gold toilet are in Whitehall to coincide with Downing Street talks between the outgoing PM and president.
Mr Trump is expected to put pressure on Mrs May to block Chinese telecoms giant Huawei from having a role in the UK’s 5G next generation communications network.
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Earlier on day two of Mr Trump’s state visit, the president and Mrs May hosted roundtable talks with business leaders at St James’ Palace attended by the Duke of York, senior ministers, officials and senior representatives of five US and five British firms.
Mr Trump said the the US was already the UK’s largest trading partner and that he believed there was scope for further expansion.
And Mrs May said that there were “huge opportunities” for Britain and the US to work together in the future.
“It is a great partnership but I think a partnership we can take even further. Of course that is with a good bilateral trade deal,” she told the US president.
Opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn is due to address demonstrators “in solidarity with those he’s attacked in America, around the world and in our own country”.
The Labour leader, who refused an invitation to Monday evening’s state banquet, will be joined by other political parties including members of the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party.
A huge police and security operation is under way, with protesters barred from demonstrating directly outside Downing Street and road closures in place.
Across the UK, protests in Birmingham, Stoke, Sheffield, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Chester, Leicester, Oxford and Exeter are also planned.
The US leader said on Monday he had only seen “tremendous crowds of well wishers” and that he expected “fake news” would be “working hard” to find protesters.
It comes after a day of pomp and ceremony as Mr Trump was welcomed by the Queen and lunched at Buckingham Palace with senior royals.
On Tuesday evening, Mr Trump and the First Lady will host a reciprocal dinner at Winfield House – the official residence of Woody Johnson, the US ambassador to the UK – in Regent’s Park, which will be attended by Charles and Camilla, who will represent the Queen.