‘Biden hates the UK’: Farage says Tory government wasted chance to do trade deal with US

The populist politician took to Twitter to vent his spleen with the Tories after Biden was anointed the winner of the contentious US election on Saturday.

Farage shared a video from a media scrum showing Biden’s reaction to a question from the BBC and argued that the president-elect’s Irish heritage means he will not seek to do a post-Brexit trade deal with Britain.

In the clip a reporter says “Mr Biden, a quick word for the BBC?” prompting Biden to reply “BBC? I’m Irish” before smiling and moving away.

The Brexit Party leader wrote: “As you can see from this clip, Biden hates the UK. The Conservatives had four years to do a trade deal with the USA and pro-UK President, and they failed. There is no chance now.”

Earlier this year Biden said there would be no future trade deal between the US and UK while he was president if the Good Friday Agreement, which brought peace to Northern Ireland, was not respected.

“Any trade deal between the US and UK must be contingent upon respect for the Good Friday Agreement and preventing the return of a hard border in Ireland. Period,” he said.

A mural of Joe Biden in his ancestral home of Ballina, Co. Mayo, Ireland. © Global Look Press/Keystone Press Agency

The comments came after the UK sought to override parts of its withdrawal agreement with the European Union with the Internal Market Bill. The bill was branded a violation of the Good Friday Agreement.

Biden also expressed disappointment with the UK’s decision to leave the EU following the referendum in 2016. “I was not surprised, because in times of confusion and great change I think we all become susceptible to demagogues and charlatans who in order to aggrandise their power find a scapegoat,” he said.

Another ill omen for UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on the trade deal front came when former Barack Obama spokesperson Tommy Vietor labelled him a “shapeshifting creep” on Saturday. 

The ex-presidential press aide responded to Johnson’s tweet congratulating Biden with the warning: “We will never forget your racist comments about Obama and slavish devotion to Trump.”

Farage has been a prominent supporter of Trump dating back to before his election. He attended a number of his rallies in the leadup to this year’s vote.

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