Forget Farage: Downing Street says Trump-May relationship is no threesome
Theresa May has issued a stinging slap down to calls for Nigel Farage to lead relations with US President-elect Donald Trump.
Farage was the first British politician to meet with Trump in the aftermath of the Republican's shock election victory, and this morning offered to assist the UK government in strengthening ties with the controversial billionaire.
Downing Street today dismissed those suggestions out of hand, insisting that May had established a "warm" relationship with Trump, and arguing that the US politician had stressed a desire to emulate the close bond between Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher.
"I don't remember there being a third person in that relationship," a Downing Street spokeswoman said today.
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However, she also declined to replicate Trump's own example for the future of UK/US ties, stating only that May was looking forward to an "effective, strong, working relationship".
Downing Street also denied that Trump meeting with Farage ahead of any of the UK's elected officials represented a snub to Westminster.
"The relationship between the two teams is working well," a spokeswoman said, noting that May had been invited to visit Trump in the US "at the earliest opportunity".
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May did not issue a similar invitation to the President-elect, although Downing Street insisted that was only because Trump had already made his own offer.