Britain’s treasury chief, George Osborne, on Sunday said he expects the United States’ next president to be a woman, while describing Republican candidate Donald Trump as “odd”.
Speaking to British broadcaster ITV and quoted by The Associated Press, Osborne said, “We look forward to working with whoever the next president is, whoever she may be.”
Obsorne, a close ally of British Prime Minister David Cameron, then described Trump as part of “an odd collection” of extremists who want Britain to leave the European Union.
“It’s becoming quite an odd collection of people who support Brexit around the world, isn’t it? It’s Marine Le Pen and Donald Trump and we’ve got George Galloway and Nigel Farage,” he said.
The comments are in line with Cameron’s previous criticism of Trump and his anti-immigrant rhetoric.
In December, when Trump called for a temporary ban of Muslim entry to the United States for security reasons, Cameron blasted the remarks and called them “divisive, stupid and wrong.”
Last week, Cameron refused to take back the comments even as it became clear that Trump is now the presumptive Republican presidential candidate.
Speaking after Trump won the Indiana primary, Cameron said the billionaire deserves the UK’s “respect”, but added, “What I said about Muslims, I won’t change that view, I’m very clear that the policy idea that was put forward was wrong, is wrong and will remain wrong.”