Brexit leader Nigel Farage has backed Tory MP Jacob Rees-Mogg as the next Conservative Party leader and a possible Prime Minister to lead the UK out of the European Union (EU).
“When the Conservative Party was led by Mrs. Thatcher, I was quite happy to pay my membership fee,” the former UKIP leader said, adding that since her “downfall in 1990, there has not been a single Conservative leader who really believed in Britain and was prepared to stand up and fight for what is right while telling the unvarnished truth.
“With that in mind, I now begin to wonder whether Rees-Mogg might perhaps have the necessary qualities to lead the country,” he added in an article for The Telegraph, implying he might consider once again backing the Tories under Mr. Rees-Mogg.
The two men “share many of the same views when it comes to the EU”, he added.
Mr. Farage argued that the chairman of the European Research Group is also prepared to use “the language of the street” to blast Brussels, and, like him, recognises the “collusion” between the “establishment” and the EU working to keep the UK in the Customs Union and ultimately block Brexit.
Furthermore, Mr. Rees-Mogg has “warned” unelected members of the House of Lords trying to block Brexit, Farage writes, as well as subtly criticised his leader, Prime Minister Theresa May, for her failure to stand up to the EU.
“At this dreadful time when watching the Brexit process has been such total purgatory, all I can say is thank goodness for Rees-Mogg,” Mr. Farage said.
In the article, he also said France is moving “by stealth to replace the UK as Donald Trump’s preferred partner”, adding:
“Brexit and Trump were supposed to be the opportunity for the Atlantic to get a lot narrower. In fact, the gulf between our countries appears to be as big as ever.”
On his LBC radio show, Mr Farage expanded on the point, blasting London Mayor Sadiq Khan and “ghastly” House of Commons Speaker John Bercow for attacking President Trump and harming the prospects for a post-Brexit relationship
He said: “So the state visit hasn’t happened and we had many of Corbyn’s supporters saying if the President comes there will be mass protests.
“There were no mass protests in France. You know the one thing that Bercow, Sadiq Khan, and President Macron have is they’re all very short.
“They’re all much shorter than average height but Macron has shown himself to be a much bigger man than the other two.
“Because whatever his fundamental political differences with President Trump are, he’s been prepared to put them to one side in what he sees as the greatest interest of France.
“And he his right. I have to say, I really do think we are making an absolute total mess of this and we’ve allowed France to jump way ahead of us.
“I’m not blaming Macron, I think what he’s done is he’s played the starring role on this, he really has. Brilliant to get Trump there on Bastille day, last year.”
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