Tony Blair has been criticised for arranging to visit Jean-Claude Juncker, the European Commission president, in the same week as the next round of Brexit negotiations.

British negotiators will be in Brussels on Monday for the third round of talks, which are expected to end on Thursday. Mr Blair, a former prime minister who supports Britain staying in the EU, will meet Mr Juncker on Thursday in the commission's Brussels headquarters, where some of the discussions will be held.

The visit, during tense negotiations over Ireland, citizens’ rights and the so-called Brexit Bill, was an effort to influence the talks, Nigel Farage said.

The UKIP MEP said: “Blair’s interference and desire to sell out our country never stops. The Remaniac-in-chief has no position or power any more, only delusions.”