London: In his semi-retirement, Tony Abbott has been adopted as an unofficial guru for UKIP, the UK's anti-immigration party.

A day before he was set to deliver a speech warning Europe of a "catastrophic error" in showing too much compassion to refugees, Mr Abbott attended drinks at a free market think-tank in London where he offered policy and political tips to a UKIP MEP (member of the European Parliament).

Mr Abbott had been the star guest at an Australian Liberals Abroad event, held at the Institute of Economic Affairs in London.