Theresa May would be missing a trick not to make Nigel Farage our next man in Washington

Downing Street has already lost face over Farage being the first UK politician to meet Trump. Farage will continue to make political hay out of his proximity to the new administration. By bringing Farage into the fold, May would achieve two goals. It would send a signal to Trump that the country whose Members of Parliament debated banning him from entry takes him seriously. Second, it would remove the only the figure from Ukip who is keeping the party together.

We may not be so used to it here but in the US, diplomatic appointment is one of the oldest tricks in the book for neutralising a political rival.

After Obama’s victory in 2008 the only Republican to look vaguely match-fit, Jon Huntsman, was promptly dispatched as Washington’s man in Beijing. He stood down after two years to contest the 2012 primaries, but his time off the radar had killed his momentum. 

Finding all of this a bit far-fetched? Tune into Fox News the next time Farage is on. In many quarters of the US media and political establishment, he already is our man in Washington, referred to as a Sir and credited as singularly responsible for Brexit. To give Farage the keys to the residence would merely be a formalising of his own transatlantic positioning.   

Of course, the government could have greeted Trump’s election in a more conditional spirit, along the lines of Angela Merkel’s less-than-subtle warning. Instead, May and Johnson have held their noses and embraced the Donald. If they want to cosy up close, they’re going to have to get used to hanging out with Trump’s British BFF.