
Nigel Farage today denied putting Donald Trump up to slating the Brexit deal - but admitted he could have inspired the President's outburst.

Mr Trump added to Theresa May's woes last night with an extraordinary attack on the package she has negotiated with Brussels.

He jibed that the deal was 'great for the EU' - and warned it would hit trade with the US.

The intervention - which was pounced on by Tory Eurosceptics - immediately sparked speculation that Mr Trump might have been listening to Mr Farage, whom he once backed as a candidate for US ambassador.

The former Ukip leader appeared on Fox News, known to be Mr Trump's favourite news channel, condemning the Brexit deal on Sunday and hours before Trump's comments yesterday.

He branded the deal the 'worst in history' which would hamper trade with the US, and suggested it was a good package for Brussels - seemingly foreshadowing the president's remarks.

Mr Trump often watches Fox News and then tweets about what he sees - which can cause major diplomatic repurcussions.

On the same page: Former Ukip leader Nigel Farage appeared on Fox News, known to be Mr Trump's favourite news channel, condemning the Brexit deal on Sunday and Monday (left). Hours later, the President (right) trashed May's Brexit plan from the White House lawn. His comments echoed those made by his ally Mr Farage and speculation is rife that they are connected

Mrs May appeared to be enjoying herself despite the rain and her Brexit woes at the Royal Welsh Fair in Powys today. She is touring the country to make the case for her Brexit deal, and will later visit Northern Ireland for meeting with the DUP

Speaking on Fox News yesterday morning, Mr Farage said: 'It's a bad deal, it is the worst deal in history...

'It's a bad deal because it traps us in something we cannot leave.

How Trump appeared to take Farage's lines on the Brexit deal What Nigel Farage said on Fox News on Sunday: 'When the unelected bureaucrats are happy then something must be wrong.... 'It prevents us for the foreseeable future from having a better, deeper trade deal with the United States of America.' What Mr Farage said on Fox News on Monday morning: 'It's a bad deal, it is the worst deal in history... 'It's a bad deal because it traps us in something we cannot leave. 'It means the prospects of a trade deal between us and the USA have been kicked way, way into the future. We are not taking our opportunities.' What Donald Trump said on Monday night: 'I think we have to take a look seriously whether or not the UK is allowed to trade,' he said. 'Because right now if you look at the deal, they may not be able to trade with us. And that wouldn't be a good thing. I don't think they meant that.' Advertisement

'It means the prospects of a trade deal between us and the USA have been kicked way, way into the future. We are not taking our opportunities.'

Mr Trump later emerged to tell reporters at the White House that it looked like a 'great' deal for the EU - an institution he has accused of being a protectionist cartel.

'I think we have to take a look seriously whether or not the UK is allowed to trade,' he said.

'Because right now if you look at the deal, they may not be able to trade with us. And that wouldn't be a good thing. I don't think they meant that.'

The President said he hoped Mrs May would be able to address the problem. 'I don't think that the Prime Minister meant that,' he said.

'And, hopefully, she'll be able to do something about that.'

Asked today whether his appearance might have influenced Mr Trump he told MailOnline: 'Who knows?'

He joked: 'Nothing to do with me guv.'

Mr Farage said Mr Trump's comments on the deal were 'just a statement of fact, and it would be at least six years after Brexit before there was any chance of a Transatlantic trade pact being sealed.

'It's a mistake to think just the States will be upset about this.'

Amid the fallout from Mr Trump's incendiary remarks today, Downing Street said there were 'no plans' to hold talks with him at the G20 summit this week.

Asked if Mrs May would try to explain the situation to Mr Trump at the gathering in Argentina, the PM's spokesman said she would hold bilateral talks with other leaders, but had 'none planned' with the US commander-in-chief.

What happens now the Brexit deal has been signed off in Brussels? Theresa May passed a milestone in the Brexit process by agreeing a package with the EU. But there is still a long way to go. This is what the next steps are: December 11: The meaningful vote itself. This is the absolutely crucial moment and could make or break the Prime Minister and her deal. MPs will vote after a debate that could last as long as five days. If the vote carries, Mrs May survives and Brexit is on track as she plans. If she loses, she could resign. December 13-14: The next EU summit. If the deal has been rejected by MPs, Mrs May could use this to try and secure new concessions. January 2019: The European Parliament is due to vote on the deal - but will only do so if it has been agreed in the House of Commons. March 29, 2019: Exit day. This is written in law so unless there is a dramatic shift Britain will leave the EU, deal or no deal. Advertisement

'It is not something that we have requested,' the spokesman said. 'The Prime Minister's diary is agreed in advance and she is meeting with a number of world leaders to discuss issues like trade and security.

'We have met with the president on a number of occasions in recent months and the bilaterals that are agreed for the G20 are done so in advance, and they don't include the US president.'

Senior Tories and Eurosceptics have seized on the extraordinary barbs from the White House with glee - saying it could not be 'brushed off' and Mrs May must reopen negotiations with Brussels. Jacob Rees-Mogg said Mr Trump was stating an 'obvious' fact.

On a visit to a winter fair in mid-Wales today, Mrs May flatly dismissed Mr Trump's attack, saying the package thrashed out with Brussels was 'very clear we will have an independent trade policy'.

'If you look at the political declaration that sets out the future framework for our relationship with the European Union, it clearly identifies we will have an independent trade policy and we will be able to negotiate trade deals with countries around the rest of the world,' she said.

'As regards the United States, we have already been talking to them about the sort of agreement that we could have in the future.

'We have a working group set up and that is working very well, has met several times and is continuing to work with the US on this.'

A welter of Tory rebels pounced on Mr Trump's remarks to bolster their case.

Jacob Rees-Mogg told TalkRadio the president was right.

'He has pointed something out that is obvious from reading the withdrawal agreement, that is we won't be able to make trade deals with other countries because we'll be bound into the EU customs union,' he said.

'This agreement, or proposal at this stage, limits the government's ability to trade with the rest of the world freely because we'll be tied into the inefficient, protectionist European system.'

A particularly stinging assault came from former Cabinet minister Sir Michael Fallon, a long-term loyalist.

He said Mrs May's deal was 'the worst of all worlds' and warned it seems 'doomed'.

'It's no use us just brushing that off, saying 'no, no we can do a deal with America', he's the President of the United States, and if he says it's going to be difficult, then it certainly looks like it's going to be difficult.

Snub: Amid the fallout from Mr Trump's incendiary remarks today, Downing Street said there were 'no plans' to hold talks with him at the G20 summit in Argentina this week

'This is not a good deal and we need a better deal. If it's possible to get a better deal, to send the negotiators back to Brussels for two or three months, to postpone the actual leaving date for two or three months, I still think that in the long term that would be in the best interest of the country.

'We have to get this right.'

However, Sir Michael did give Downing Street a glimmer of hope by insisting he did not think Mrs May should stand down if she loses the vote next month.

Tory backbencher Michael Fabricant, another MP who has refused to join the Eurosceptic coup attempt against Mrs May, tweeted: 'Trump is spot on. It's a great deal for the EU.'

Former sports minister Tracey Crouch has also come out against the pact, in a sign that moderate opinion in the party is swinging against the PM.

But a No 10 spokesman said: 'The political declaration we have agreed with the EU is very clear we will have an independent trade policy so that the UK can sign trade deals with countries around the world — including the US.'

Mr Lidington said Mr Trump's intervention was 'not unexpected', insisting the UK would be free to do trade deals around the world after Brexit.

But he also seemed to pour cold water on the idea of a deep Transatlantic agreement, saying: 'I think it was always going to be challenging to do a deal with the United States.

'The United States is a tough negotiator, President Trump's always said very plainly 'I put America first'.

Ministers accused of U-turning on their pledge to publish legal advice on the EU Withdrawal Agreement Ministers were today accused of U-turning on their pledge to publish the full legal advice on the EU Withdrawal Agreement. Labour set down a 'Humble Address' motion earlier this month to make the legal advice given by Attorney General Geoffrey Cox to the Cabinet public, while the agreement is being debated over the next two weeks. The Prime Minister's official spokesman said the Government's position had been set out by David Lidington in the Commons two weeks ago. The spokesman said on Tuesday: 'This is for a full reasoned position statement laying out the government's political and also legal position on the proposed Withdrawal Agreement and attached protocols. 'The commitment remains as set out a couple of weeks ago.' But Labour's Brexit chief Sir Keir Starmer has written to ministers demanding the information is published soon. He said: 'It's completely unacceptable for Number 10 to point-blank refuse to publish the full legal advice on the withdrawal agreement. 'Parliament was very clear in what it was demanding - and that view was shared by MPs from all sides of the House. The Government didn't oppose what it knew to be a binding motion. 'If ministers continues to dig-in, then Labour will use all the mechanisms available to force this information to be published.' Advertisement

'Well, I'd expect the British Prime Minister to put British interests first, but it's going to be a very tough negotiation.'

Digital minister Margot James retweeted a message from an FT journalist saying that Mr Trump is 'openly gunning for a no-deal Brexit' and wanted a 'populist like Boris Johnson or Jacob Rees-Mogg to finish off Theresa May'.

Mrs May received a hostile reception last night as she told the House of Commons her Brexit deal 'delivers for the British people', and warned that rejecting it would put the UK on the path to division and uncertainty.

She was loudly barracked by MPs as she insisted that no better deal was available than the Withdrawal Agreement and Political Declaration on future relations endorsed by EU leaders in Brussels on Sunday.

Labour MPs were invited to attend a special briefing in the Commons with her chief of staff Gavin Barwell and Mr Lidington - but only around 20 bothered to turn up.

Tory MP and leading Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg criticised the meeting, saying its 'smacks of desperation'.

Most critics expect that Theresa May's Brexit deal will be defeated in the Commons on December 11.

However, Mrs May's allies are already laying the ground for her to bring the package back to Parliament for a second vote.

They are said to be hoping she can survive losing a first Commons showdown scheduled for December 11 - as long the margin can be kept below 100 MPs.

Speaking on her visit to Northern Ireland today, Mrs May said: 'We have been resisting many of the things the European Union had wanted to put.

'When you negotiate neither side gets 100 per cent of what they want, it is about compromising, but you have to be clear about what your vital interests are and we have protected those vital interests, and that includes protecting the interests of the people of Northern Ireland.'

Cabinet Office minister David Lidington sent a stark message to mutinous Conservative MPs that the public will punish them for 'squabbling' over how to leave the EU.

And he insisted the PM will not need to quit if her package is defeated - saying switching leader would do nothing to change the 'fundamental' problem facing the country.

More moderate Conservatives broke cover overnight to condemn the deal, with former ministers Sir Michael Fallon and Tracey Crouch making clear they will not support it.