‘The best is yet to come, Nigel’: Trump praises Farage on his 60th birthday

Nigel Farage’s 60th birthday party was compared to an episode of This Is Your Life as he celebrated with 350 guests from the worlds of politics, banking and television on Wednesday night.

In an evening full of surprises, Donald Trump beamed a message from the US, telling his friend: “You’re not done yet and hopefully the best is yet to come.”

Mr Trump’s video message was such a surprise that only three people, including Mr Trump himself, knew in advance about it.

The former president said: “You have earned your place in history. Congratulations on a truly remarkable 60 years on Earth, your achievements have been incredible.”

Former prime minister Liz Truss, former Brexit secretary David Davis and Tory MPs Andrea Jenkyns and Mark Francois mingled with Reform UK leader Richard Tice, former Ukip donor Arron Banks, GB News chief executive Angelos Frangopoulos, historian David Starkey and others after Mr Farage took over one of his favourite restaurants, Boisdale of Canary Wharf, in London.

As well as Mr Trump, the guests heard from Mr Farage’s son Sam - who recalled fond childhood memories of fishing trips with his father - Holly Valance, the former Neighbours actress and wife of property magnate Nick Candy, and comedian Dominic Frisby.

Mr Farage, accompanied by his French girlfriend Laure Ferrari, teased the guests by telling them he had an announcement to make about his future, before saying he would decide “in the next few weeks” whether he will return to frontline politics ahead of the general election.

Mr Farage, currently honorary president of Reform UK and a presenter on GB News, invited friends from his career in the City – where he joked that he worked hard every day “until lunchtime” – as well as from Ukip, which he represented as an MEP, and from the Conservative Party, which he left in 1992. Last year he also appeared on the ITV reality show I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!

Compere Jim Davidson joked that the party was like an episode of This Is Your Life and that he would be whisked away to a TV studio to be presented with a red book by Eamonn Andrews, as Davidson himself once was.