Nigel Farage should not “hold his breath” in expectation of a Government approach for help with relations with the administration of US President-elect Donald Trump, Chancellor Philip Hammond has said.
Mr Farage pipped Prime Minister Theresa May to secure the first meeting of a senior UK politician with the president-elect, and Mr Trump shocked Westminster by suggesting that the interim Ukip leader would make a good ambassador to Washington.
Many people would like to see @Nigel_Farage represent Great Britain as their Ambassador to the United States. He would do a great job!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 22, 2016
Supporters of Mr Farage marked the proposal by presenting him with a tray of Ferrero Rocher chocolates at a reception at London’s Ritz hotel on Wednesday night to celebrate his 25-year contribution to the battle for Brexit.
Handing the chocolates round like the diplomat in the famous “ambassador’s reception” TV advert, Mr Farage left no doubt that he was ready to perform a go-between role with the Trump administration, where he has long-standing links with figures like chief strategist Steve Bannon.
But Mr Hammond told Susannah Reid on ITV1’s Good Morning Britain: “We’ve got an excellent ambassador to the United States, someone that I have worked with in the past, both as foreign secretary and in other roles.
#PhilipHammond on #NigelFarage 'If i ever need any advice from Nigel Farage, I've got his number…but tell tell him not to hold his breath' pic.twitter.com/loczAWMXHY
— Good Morning Britain (@GMB) November 24, 2016
“We have very strong relationships with the United States at all levels and I am confident that the special relationship we have will continue and will prosper under the new presidency when it starts in January.
“But it isn’t for other countries to decide who we appoint as ambassadors and if I ever need any advice from Nigel Farage, I’ve got his number, and I’ll give him a call. Tell him not to hold his breath.”
Speaking at last night’s glittering reception, hosted by Leave.EU founder Arron Banks and attended by Brexiteers including Tory MPs Jacob Rees-Mogg and Peter Bone, Ukip leadership contender Paul Nuttall, Labour donor John Mills and Express newspapers tycoon Richard Desmond, Mr Farage predicted a “seismic shock” if the UK has not left the European Union by the time of the next general election.
Mr Farage said Brexit remained “unfinished business” and promised he would be sticking around to take part in the battles to come.
“We’ve got a problem,” he told around 100 guests. “In America the revolution is total. Not only have the people spoken and won, but the old administration, Obama and all those ghastly people, are out and the Trump people are in.
“In this country, the people have spoken, but the same players have just been shuffled around the chess board and we are still being run by the career professional political class.
“I am not sure what is going to happen over the course of the next couple of years but I suspect there’s another big seismic shock in British politics perhaps going to come at the next election.
“I suspect that the Conservative Party is not fit for the legacy of Brexit. I suspect there is going to be a genuine realignment of British politics over the course of the next three or four years.
“It is unfinished business – the people have spoken but the establishment don’t want to listen. There are great battles to be fought and I’m going to go on fighting those battles.”
Asked if he would back the interim Ukip leader for ambassador, Mr Rees-Mogg told the Press Association: “Mr Farage’s relationship with Mr Trump could be beneficial for the country but I am not sure he should be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary.
“Mr Farage is certainly extraordinary in his own way but I think that being plenipotentiary as well may be a bit too much.”
Mr Farage recalled that he had joined Mr Banks and other leading Brexiteers at the Ritz on the morning after the June 23 referendum for a victory breakfast of champagne and kippers – a reference to the nickname for Ukip supporters.
He said: “When people look back in 100 or 200 years, 2016 will be seen as one of the great historic years – a year of big political revolution.
“Brexit was the first brick knocked out of the establishment wall and then look what we got on November 8. The election of The Donald was something of a completely different order.”
To cheers he said: “For those of you who aren’t particularly happy with what happened in 2016, I’ve got some really bad news for you – it’s going to get a bloody sight worse next year.”
