The future of the special relationship - will May take the opportunity?

The British political elites are about as happy, and shocked, about President Trump as they were with Brexit. I was surprised about neither - both represented a desire for change in the minds of the people, and an understanding that the current political system fails to represent and benefit many. Such a groundswell of dissatisfaction in the population - enough to vote to leave the EU and elect President Trump - is what scares the politicians, who are slowly realising that business cannot continue as usual for much longer. Aside from the nationalist rhetoric, it is clear that one of the key facets of a Trump presidency will be political reform as he 'drains the swamp'. This is evidently necessary to make the political establishment more representative of, and more responsive to, their electorate - unfortunately, even post-Brexit, there is little political sentiment for the same reforms in the UK.

I suspect that by 2020, the UK will still be a member of the EU, albeit close to leaving; whilst I hope we will have triggered Article 50 before 2018, it seems likely negotiations to leave will be extended due to the political changes on the continent. Regardless, the UK will be negotiating Brexit for much (if not all) of Trump's presidency - leaving us in a precarious position:

The political establishment here unanimously backed Clinton and have strong ties to the US political establishment - most also expressed a strong dislike for Trump - notably including foreign secretary Boris Johnson. The only party mostly in favour of a Trump presidency was UKIP, with Nigel Farage speaking at rallies and advising Trump on strategy, even as his party descended into a farce. Both Trump and Farage have joked that he should play a role in UK/US relations over the coming years - sentiment abruptly shot-down by Prime Minister Theresa May, who said he would have neither a formal or informal role. I fear that this is a mistake on her part - whilst UKIP as a party is collapsing, Farage is a popular political figure to many, and one of the few elected politicians friendly with Trump. 

Giving Farage a formal role in UK/US relations would serve to solve quite a few of the Prime Minister's current problems:

Primarily, offering Farage a formal role in US relations would appease UKIP voters, giving them at least the illusion of political power. With the party crumbling without his leadership, UKIP voters will be deciding whether to return to the major parties or seek an alternative 3rd party; giving Farage a formal role in aiding the Conservative government would signal to UKIP voters that their views are at least being heard by the establishment and thus weaken 3rd party resolve.

Secondly, Farage and Trump already have a friendly relationship - not soured by the statements made by establishment politicians in the run up to the election. The special relationship between the UK and the US, when at its strongest, has been based on friendship and mutual understanding - and can only be strengthened by the amicable rapport of Farage and Trump going forward. This will be particularly important if (or when) Trump makes sweeping changes to the US political establishment, breaking existing ties between UK establishment politicians and their outgoing Democratic counterparts.

Finally, sending Farage to America also sends him far away from EU negotiations. He is almost universally disliked or ridiculed by the European political class; if allowed to interfere too much in negotiations (even from the informal sidelines) his voice in the discussion could weaken our negotiating position, or strengthen the public resolve for more wide-reaching political change. Whilst in the long term, wide reaching political change is necessary - I'd prefer be out of the EU and have comfy trade deals sorted with the rest of the world before we do it.

As the UK opens up to the world post-Brexit, it seems to me that having Farage positively building links with the US - rather than negatively breaking them with the EU - is our best chance to rebuild the special relationship, and our best chance for a positive outcome in Brexit negotiations.