Nigel Farage blasts UK ambassador picks for Trump 2.0

It’s the question all of Westminster is asking. If Donald Trump wins, who will be our next man in Washington? One person definitely not in the running is Nigel Farage, longtime friend and ally of the Republican president. At The Spectator’s Americano event last night, the Clacton member of parliament told host Freddy Gray that he definitely will not become the new British ambassador, saying:

Clearly I’ve decided to get back into elected politics, so I’m off the table. But I repeat the point that if this government needs any help with relationships with Trump 47, I will do all that I can.

Will David Lammy take up such an offer? Don’t hold your breath eh. Farage did note that Trump tipped him for the post in 2016, joking that that “Had I got the job of the UK ambassador in Washington, it would have been a very good thing — you would never have seen a wine cellar like it.”

Farage might be ruling himself out this time around — but he does not seem all that keen on the favorites for the role. Asked what he made of the two frontrunners to succeed Karen Pierce — David Miliband and Peter Mandelson — Farage initially replied “Oh dear” before adding:

You’ve got to have an ambassador that can get into the Oval Office and have a conversation. Now, David Miliband won’t get near the Oval Office. If it’s Peter Mandelson, well, even though there isn’t much they would agree on, he is actually really rather clever. I mean, if it was the choice of the two, I’d choose Mandelson, but frankly I’d choose neither.

Well, if Keir wants to speak to the expert, he knows where to find Nigel.

You can see more pictures from The Spectator event last night below.

This article was originally published on The Spectator’s UK website.