Brexit Party's Farage says he had a good meeting with Trump

LONDON (Reuters) - Nigel Farage, leader of the UK's Brexit party, said he had had a good meeting with visiting U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday.

Trump has said he considers Farage, a major player in the campaign for Britain to leave the European Union during the 2016 referendum, a friend and has called him a “smart person.”

Farage said in a tweet: “Good meeting with President Trump – he really believes in Brexit and is loving his trip to London.”

Farage was one of the first Britons to visit Trump in New York following his 2016 election victory, and the president recently described him as a friend of mine.

In an interview at the weekend with the Sunday Times newspaper, Trump said: “I like Nigel a lot. He has a lot to offer - he is a very smart person.”

Farage was pictured by a Reuters photographer arriving at the U.S. ambassador's residence in London where Trump is staying during his state visit to Britain after the president returned there following a news conference with Prime Minister Theresa May.

Brexit-supporting Conservative lawmakers Owen Paterson and Iain Duncan Smith were also seen at the Winfield House residence.

Trump earlier said May deserved a lot of credit for her work on Brexit.

May's Brexit deal has been defeated by British lawmakers three times, and Farage, a lawmaker in the European Parliament, has been one of her staunchest critics, saying Britain should not be afraid to leave without a deal.