Nigel Farage would vote for Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton 'if put up against a wall'

Ukip leader welcomes Trump's comments on the EU referendum

Nigel Farage has said he would vote for Donald Trump to be the next US president, despite admitting he has “reservations” with some of the Republican’s controversial policies.

The Ukip leader said his support for Mr Trump was largely based on his intense opposition to the frontrunner to be the Democrat candidate, Hillary Clinton.

“Let’s put it like this, I couldn’t vote for Hillary even if you paid me,” he said.

“If you put me up against a wall, it’s got to be him [Trump], not Hillary.”

The comments came in an interview with Robert Peston on ITV, and the presenter asked if Mr Trump had not become “toxic” to UK observers due to his proposals for a ban on Muslims entering the US.

Mr Farage would not be drawn on Mr Trump’s apparent Islamophobia, but said: “I have reservation… encouraging people to beat up protesters, one or two things like that bother me.

“But I tell you what, I think he’s going to win.”

Last night, Mr Trump was asked whether he would follow Barack Obama in giving a recommendation to the British public over the vote to stay in or leave the EU.

In an interview with the British broadcaster Piers Morgan, the billionaire businessman started by saying he “has no preference”, but added: “I think if I were from Britain I would probably not want it [the EU], I would want to go back to the different system.”

Mr Trump said he would do deals with anybody, regardless of the way the UK votes, and said unequivocally that Britain would not be “at the back of the queue” for a new trade deal in the case of Brexit, as was suggested by Mr Obama.

Mr Farage was shown the Trump interview on Sunday morning, and joked that it “goes to show Donald Trump is measured, neutral, doesn’t want to get stuck into the punch-up”.

He suggested that, unlike Mr Obama’s comments, Mr Trump had given “a very diplomatic answer”.