Nigel Farage will be in the USA on Sunday for a sixth time since he was elected as the MP for on 4 July after he was unveiled as one of the headline acts at the biggest MAGA gala since Donald Trump won the US presidential election.
The Reform UK leader, who has been dubbed “the MP for MAGA”, by some political opponents in Westminster and comes amid questions over how much time he is spending in his Clacton constituency.
Recently, prime minister Sir Keir Starmer mocked Farage for “a rare appearance” adding: “He spent so much time in America recently, I was half expecting to see him on the immigration statistics.”
Farage will be giving one of the speeches at a major Republican fundraising event which will also be addressed by the president-elect via video link.
Organisers of the dinner though have delivered an extraordinary snub to Kemi Badenoch and the Tories because they do not want “loser parties” involved following the Tories’ suffering their worst election defeat in their 365-year history.
The extraordinary remarks come as Ms Badenoch has attempted to woo parts of Team Trump including strengthening her relationship with vice president elect J. D. Vance as she tries to revive her party and stave off the threat from Farage and Reform.
Organisers of the New York Young Republican Club (NYYRC) dinner have made a deliberate decision not to formally invite representatives of the Tories.
NYYRC executive secretary Vish Burra told The Independent: “The NYYRC Gala is a party for winners, not globalist losers. MAGA Republicans are not interested in working with parties in the death throes of their moral integrity and electoral viability.”
NYYRC president Gavin Wax added: “For a decade and a half the UK Tories governed their nation to the left of the Democrats. It ended in record migration, legal and illegal, as well as virtually bankrupting the country and transforming it into something weak, unreliable, and unrecognisable. Worse still their fecklessness led to this even greater disaster of a Labour administration. They’re a textbook case of how oot to govern, and the idea they would get anywhere close to any MAGA power centers is risible.”
The NYYRC was founded in 1911, is the oldest and largest Young Republican club in the entire United States with its annual dinner a major fundraising event.
The decision comes amid tensions within the Trump camp over whether to support Mr Farage and his Reform UK party or to stick with their longstanding alliance with the Tories when dealing with Britain.
The Independent revealed splits after there was criticism by some in the Trump team of J. D. Vance for meeting with Ms Badenoch at the weekend. It was the second meeting between the two who have regularly texted one another over the last 18 months.
Ms Badenoch was also endorsed by Florida governor Ron DeSantis and has been welcomed by Congress Speaker Mike Johnson among others. She also has strong relations with Texas governor Greg Abbott and senator Rick Scott, who are both influential figures.
But the row deepened when one stateside source who is an ally of Ms Badenoch suggested that “Farage is not that close to Trump” and described the Reform leader “as an eccentric British fanboy.”
It was later pointed out that Farage and Trump have each other’s mobile phone numbers and “regularly talk”.
It was also suggested that Trump really likes “Boris Johnson and the Royal family”. This was evident at his delight at meeting Prince William when the two attended the reopening of Notre Dame in Paris last weekend.
But the row is part of a struggle on the right of British politics with Reform splitting the traditional Tory vote with some claiming they could replace the Conservatives. Mr Farage sees his relationship with Trump as essential for success in the UK.
It is understood though that while Trump and Farage have a close relationship the two are perceived as “sole traders” while the Republicans have a wider view.
According to one well placed insider it means that the Tories and Republican Party are renewing their relationship with Trump’s deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller crucial for work through back channels even though he likes Farage.
Meanwhile, the number of trips across the Atlantic by Mr Farage in less than six months as an MP have already led to questions about his commitment to his Clacton constituency even though he is believed to be angling for a visit there from the soon-to-be US president.
