Nigel Farage slapped down after brazen offer to help Labour with Donald Trump

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said he thinks he could be a helpful 'bridge' between Labour and Donald Trump after the Republican won the US presidential the election

Nigel Farage appears to have been slapped down by a minister after his shameless offer to help the Labour government with Donald Trump.

The Reform UK leader, who ditched his constituents in Clacton to support his pal in the US, said he thinks he could be a helpful "bridge" between Labour and Mr Trump after the Republican won the US presidential the election on Tuesday.

Speaking from a sunny spot in Florida, Mr Farage told ITV: "There are ways in which I think I can help smooth the relationship between Trump, the people he's going to appoint into senior roles in the administration, most of whom I also know. If I can be helpful as a bridge between the two, I would do it. And it's not because I agree with anything the Labour government stands for, I'd do it because it's in our national interest."

But Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden appeared to reject the offer as he said working with the US was not about a "single individual" and insisted Labour already had a good relationship with Mr Trump.

Asked about former Tory minister Nadhim Zahawi suggestion that Mr Farage might help the government with a trade deal, he told Times Radio: "I think we'll have our own relationships. We've got an excellent American ambassador, UK ambassador in the United States. We've had the call between the Prime Minister and the President last night. And the good thing about our friendship with the United States is it's not based on any single individual, it's much deeper than that."

Mr McFadden insisted comments made by Labour Cabinet ministers about Mr Trump will not "interfere" in the "important alliance" between the UK and US. He told Sky News: "I think a lot of things that have been said over the years, but not just here in the UK, including in the US. If you look at what Vice President Elect JD Vance said about President Trump, he mused whether this was going to be another Richard Nixon or America's Hitler, and it's not held him back from being the running mate."

He said President-elect Mr Trump said "a lot of fiery things" in his election campaign but that the focus should be on the action he takes. Mr McFadden, who made the comment in relation to Mr Trump having said he wants to slap tariffs on goods from abroad, urged the public to "wait to see what he actually does" on potential tariffs.

Asked about the impact a more isolationist US would have on the UK economy Mr McFadden told Sky News: "I think you've got to understand that in an election, a lot of fiery things are said, and President-elect Trump says a lot of fiery things, and the important thing is what he actually does.

"We obviously have interests as a trading nation. We want to protect and look after our interests, and we always want to have a dialogue with the US administration about those. But for anyone speculating about what exactly will happen, I would advise let's wait to see what he actually does, rather than take everything said in a campaign."