Nigel Farage’s offer to help build bridges between Donald Trump and the government have been rejected by a Labour minister.
The Reform UK leader said the U.K. must “roll out the red carpet” for the president-elect, despite previous criticism of him by senior Labour figures.
David Lammy, who is now foreign secretary, once described Trump as “a racist KKK and Nazi sympathizer”.
Farage said he would be “glad to assist” in “bridging the divide that exists between Starmer’s government and Trump.”
But asked whether the government would take up that offer, Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden told Good Morning Britain: “Hasn’t he got a job working for the people of Clacton that he was recently elected to a few months ago?
“We do have a strong relationship and we want to keep that and that is why the Prime Minister spoke to the president-elect last night.
“We have got an excellent ambassador working for us in the United States at the moment.
“We know that being an ally of the United States, standing with the United States, being a friend of the United States is in Britain’s interests and the two of us acting together is in the interest of the world too.”
Starmer — who had dinner with Trump in New York two months ago — was one of the first foreign leaders to speak to the president-elect on the phone following his stunning election victory over Kamala Harris.
A Downing Street spokesperson said: “The prime minister offered his hearty congratulations and said he looked forward to working closely with president-elect Trump across all areas of the special relationship.
“From defense and security to growth and prosperity, the relationship between the U.K. and U.S. was incredibly strong and would continue to thrive for many years to come, the leaders agreed.
“The Prime Minister also reflected on the situation in the Middle East and underscored the importance of regional stability.
“The leaders fondly recalled their meeting in September, and President-elect Trump’s close connections and affinity to the United Kingdom and looked forward to working with one another.”
But in a sign of the potential problems which the government will face in dealing with a Trump White House, the pair did not discuss the situation in Ukraine.
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The president-elect has famously said he will end the war in his first day in office, but has not said he wants Ukraine to win.
