NIGEL FARAGE once famously told President Obama to “butt out” of UK affairs.

These days he positively revels in political meddling by the soon-to-be incumbent of the White House.

Ever since Donald Trump recommended him for the non-vacancy of UK ambassador to the US the erstwhile Ukip leader has done everything in his power to make the suggestion, or something similar, come true.

Farage has spent a great deal of time jetting backwards and forwards across the Atlantic for talks with Trump and his team. His Air Miles points total must be truly impressive.

Only yesterday he was putting himself forward as some kind of trans-Atlantic go-between; an honest broker who could smooth the way for a UK-US trade pact as soon as we leave the EU.

After prematurely saying his job was done following the Brexit referendum, now he is not so sure. Last month, he said the British people had spoken “but the same players have just been shuffled around the chess board”.

Essentially, Farage wants to take back control from the EU meddlers, but completely sanguine about the President-elect telling us how to run our own affairs.

The UK Government is right to hold the line against American interference. Britain already has a US ambassador (Sir Kim Darroch) and there is no need for some kind of political fixer to act as an unofficial bridge between the two countries.

Anyone who has watched one of Farage’s diatribes against his fellow MEPs – including the infamous “you’re not laughing now” speech delivered to scowling European parliamentarians after the referendum – would wince at the thought of him representing our country.

There is much more to negotiating international trade deals than being on first name terms with the US President.