UK minister rules out using Nigel Farage as link to Trump

Above, Reform UK party leader Nigel Farage attends former President Donald Trump’s campaign rally at the Santander Arena on Nov. 04, 2024 in Reading, Pennsylvania. (Getty Images via AFP)
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Updated 10 November 2024
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UK minister rules out using Nigel Farage as link to Trump

  • Nigel Farage, the Brexit-campaigner and self-described troublemaker, is a friend of Donald Trump
  • He has offered to act as an interlocutor between the British government and the Trump administration

LONDON: A British minister said on Sunday that the government is unlikely to ask the Reform party leader Nigel Farage to act as an intermediary to deal with US President-elect Donald Trump.
Farage, the Brexit-campaigner and self-described troublemaker, is a friend of Trump and was at his election victory party in Florida.
He has offered to act as an interlocutor between the British government and the Trump administration, which takes power in January.
The Treasury minister Darren Jones said on Sunday that the government would likely reject that offer.
“I think that’s probably unlikely,” he told Sky News, saying Farage, who is a member of parliament, should probably spend his time with his constituents rather than in the United States.
Governments around the world are trying to figure out how to deal with Trump, who has promised to increase tariffs and whose first four-year term was characterized by a protectionist trade policy and isolationist rhetoric, including threats to withdraw from NATO.
Starmer delayed starting a recruitment process for a new ambassador to Washington until the result of the US election was known.
The role will be crucial in the coming years in navigating Britain’s relationship with the Trump administration.
Farage said at the weekend he has “a great relationship” with Trump and would be willing to act as an intermediary for the government because it is in the national interest.


North Korea’s Kim Jong Un signals continued missile development in next 5 years

Updated 11 sec ago
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North Korea’s Kim Jong Un signals continued missile development in next 5 years

  • Kim said “the country’s missile and shell production sector is of paramount importance in bolstering war deterrent,” according to KCNA

SEOUL: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ​signaled the country will continue to develop missiles in the next five years, as he visited major munitions enterprises in the last ‌quarter of ‌2025, ‌state ⁠media ​KCNA ‌said on Friday.
Kim said “the country’s missile and shell production sector is of paramount importance in bolstering war deterrent,” according to KCNA.
Kim ⁠ratified draft documents for ‌the modernization of ‍major munitions enterprises ‍to be submitted ‍to a key party congress expected to be held in early 2026, KCNA said, ​which will set a development plan for North ⁠Korea for the next five years.
The KCNA report follows Thursday’s reveal of Kim overseeing the construction of an 8,700-ton nuclear-powered submarine with his daughter, a potential heir, and the test-firing ‌of long-range surface-to-air missiles.