The man behind Switzerland’s dominant right-wing party, Christoph Blocher, says Britain is fighting on the same side as his country in a battle with the European Union over immigration and free trade.

Blocher, a multimillionaire industrialist, argues that Britain and Switzerland could stand up to the EU in talks to curb the movement of people while keeping free trade.

“You are a very important country for imports and exports to and from the rest

of Europe. It’s the same thing for Switzerland,” he said, adding that both nations had strong economies, big financial sectors and a global outlook.

A vocal admirer of Winston Churchill, Blocher, 75, guided the Swiss People’s party (SVP) from the fringes of respectability to a key role in the coalition government.