Rob Crilly reports for the Washington Examiner that Brexit leader Nigel Farage wants to talk trade with President Trump.
Nigel Farage, the leader of Britain’s Brexit Party, is planning to start his own trade talks with the White House amid frustration that the British government has let the process stall.
“If the British government is not prepared to do it, at least allow me to get a group of people to start making some public arguments,” he said.
In an exclusive interview, Farage told the Washington Examiner he had decided to launch his own initiative after meeting President Trump last week in London and learning that American preparations for talks were already far advanced.
A deal with the U.S. is seen as critical to the British economy once it makes its much delayed exit from the European Union. Farage, 55, said he had begun organizing a team to meet Robert Lighthizer, the U.S. trade representative.
Britain had been due to leave the EU on March 29, but Prime Minister Theresa May was unable to navigate her proposed exit deal — setting out the terms of withdrawal and the future U.K. relationship with Europe — through Parliament. On Friday, she stepped down as Conservative Party leader and will resign as prime minister once her successor is chosen.