Trump intervenes at the last minute in the Brexit "after the lobbying of Nigel Farage"

Donald Trump made a last-minute intervention in Brexit – claiming that his administration was eager to "negotiate a large-scale trade deal with the UK" – after apparently being pressed to do so by Nigel Farage.

The former leader of Ukip reportedly asked the US president to help the UK leave the EU without an agreement at a meeting in Washington this month.

Just hours after Parliament voted in favor of a dead Brexit – and a few hours before further votes on a possible extension of Article 50 – Mr Trump published a morning tweet that will be interpreted by many as a response to Mr. Farage's request.

He wrote: "My administration is anxious to negotiate a large-scale trade deal with the UK The potential is unlimited!"

Prominent figures of the Brexiteers have long claimed that a trade agreement with the United States would be one of the main advantages of breaking with the EU, but critics have warned that any deal would likely take years and would lead to a lowering of food and agricultural standards, as well as increased privatization. of the NHS.

The US Trade Representative's office said it would begin negotiations with Britain after the expected date of its exit from the EU on March 29. Last month, she outlined her goals for an agreement that included the reduction of tariff and non-tariff barriers for US industrial and agricultural products.

Mr. Trump has made the US economy and trade a cornerstone of his presidency, in line with his "America First" campaign, and has attempted to renegotiate pacts with China, Canada, Mexico and the European Union.

Mr Farage said he had made this request to the President at the Conservative Political Action Conference (Cpac) in the capital last week.

The two men were photographed during the meeting, smiling, thumbs up.

"I was talking to him about Vietnam, where he had said that a bad deal was on the table, so sometimes you have to walk in. That's the exact quote from Trump." Mr. Farage said The daily telegraph.

"In the case of Vietnam, I stated that no agreement was better than a bad agreement and I said the same principle applies to Brexit", he declared. "I think if you read the comments of his ambbadador in London, I do not think it takes a lot of time between the lines.

"This American administration firmly believes in the nation-state and not supranational structures and is very committed to the defense, security and trade relations between our two countries.

"And I think it's fair to say that they see Brexit as an excellent opportunity."

Mr. Trump became a friend during his election campaign when the former Ukip executive, nicknamed "Mr. Brexit", was greeted at a rally in Mississippi prior to the 2016 election.

The two men were also photographed right after the elections, at Trump Tower in New York, where Mr. Farage seemed to be spearheading a new relationship between the United Kingdom and the United States.

Mr Trump highly appreciated Mr Farage in the past, stating that he would do "a great job" as a British ambbadador to the United States.

Additional reports by PA

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