LONDON — Nigel Farage arrived at the U.S. ambassador’s residence in London on Tuesday afternoon, according to a witness, ending days of speculation about whether he would meet President Trump during his state visit.
Farage, 55, Britain’s best-known proponent of Brexit, has been a constant irritant to Theresa May’s government as she attempts to negotiate her way out of Europe.
He was spotted arriving at Winfield House by a photographer with the Reuters news agency about 15 minutes after Trump returned there after news conference with May. Trump is staying with the ambassador, Woody Johnson, while Buckingham Palace undergoes renovations.
No. 10 Downing St. asked American officials not to schedule a meeting between Farage and Trump during a visit last year, saying it would cross a “red line.”
However, this year officials said it was up to President Trump whom he wanted to meet.
Farage appeared on the campaign trail for Trump in 2016.
Shortly before arriving in the U.K., Trump said Britain should consider pulling out of the EU without a deal and that the government should send Farage to conduct its stalled negotiations.
Yet, the Brexiteer on Friday said he still had no idea whether he would be allowed to meet the president.
“I honestly don’t know,” he told the Washington Examiner then.
Farage emerged as a charismatic, populist leader of the U.K. Independence Party during the years that led up the 2016 Brexit vote.
His new Brexit Party captured more than 30% of the votes cast in last month’s EU elections, winning 29 seats and making it the single biggest party in the European Elections. Repeating such a feat would be difficult in British parliamentary elections, but the result signaled Farage’s enduring popularity and ability to make life difficult for the more established parties.
