Former UKIP leader Nigel Farage is to be a “close but unofficial” advisor to U.S. President Donald Trump, the Governor of Mississippi has said.

Speaking at a party thrown for Mr Farage on the top floor of the Hay Adams hotel, Phil Bryant said: “There is an opportunity for him to work directly with the president, we call it ‘close but unofficial’.

“I think you will see that type of relationship between Nigel Farage and the president where he will turn to Nigel for advice about Great Britain.”

The Telegraph quotes Mr Bryant as adding: “I don’t want to speak for the president but I know that the president has a great deal of trust in Nigel Farage, and I think he is going to turn to him as an adviser and there would be none better.”

He described the former UKIP leader as a “humble man who just believes in Great Britain and trying to make sure it achieves that greatness”.

Mr Bryant added that Brexit will be a massive boost for Britain, saying: “I remind all our friends here – there is a reason they call it Great Britain. It is going to be great again.”

Mr Farage spoke at the same event, saying how he was “proud” to have played a part in Donald Trump’s election.

“At times it wasn’t necessarily that easy to be helping the Trump campaign,” he said.

“There were one or two low moments. But I think what’s exciting is that 2016 will be looked at in ten years’ time, in a hundred years’ time, as a year of a great pivot, of a great change.

“A year when nation state democracy reasserted itself. A year when proper decent values reasserted themselves. And I think through 2017 much of this revolution will continue across much of what is left of Mr. Juncker’s European Union.”