Nigel Farage calls radio phone-in show to confront EU nemesis Guy Verhofstadt after he branded the former Ukip leader the 'biggest waste of EU money'

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Nigel Farage, pictured, phoned into LBC to confront his EU nemesis Guy Verhofstadt

Nigel Farage said he would 'get his life back' after winning the EU referendum but today he found himself calling into a radio phone-in show. 

He phoned up LBC, which was interviewing his chief nemesis in Brussels - the European Parliament's chief Brexit negotiator and arch-EU federalist Guy Verhofstadt.

The former Ukip leader wanted to confronted the Belgian MEP for branding him the 'biggest waste of the EU budget'.

Mr Farage told Mr Verhofstadt: 'I have just helped lead a campaign where my salary will be abolished completely and I was the turkey that will vote for Christmas. 

'So don't worry Mr Verhofstadt, once I've left I won't take a penny of EU salary.'

But Mr Verhofstadt said he had 'nothing to say' to Mr Farage, who he clashed with numerous times in the Brussels Parliament over the years.

So Mr Farage was left to tell listeners about the 'wonderful lifestyle' enjoyed by MEPs on taxpayers money.

'I tell you how it works - the more you're there, the more it costs the taxpayer because everyday an MEP is in Brussels he or she signs a piece of paper and they get given 300 euros in cash tax-free. 

'So the less I'm there, the less I cost the taxpayer.'

He added he would be 'sadly' missing out on the 'wonderful lifestyle that is enjoyed by everybody in Brussels.'

Guy Verhofstadt, pictured today on LBC radio, said he had 'nothing to say' to Mr Farage, who he clashed with numerous times in the Brussels Parliament over the years

Mr Verhofstadt, a former prime minister of Belgium, is one of the biggest supporters of further European for integration and has repeatedly criticised Britain's decision to leave. 

During today's interview he repeated his warning that Donald Trump was an enemy of the EU and posed a bigger threat than Brexit.

Mr Verhofstadt is on a two-day visit to London to promote his new book - Europe's Last Chance - and yesterday made a speech at the influential international affairs think tank Chatham House.

The MEP said the new US President was a 'third front' trying to undermine the EU along with Russian aggression and Islamic extremism. 

In contrast, he said Brexit offered a 'golden opportunity' for European leaders to radically reform the bloc's institutions.

Guy Verhofstadt, pictured, the European Parliament's lead Brexit negotiator, the new US President was a 'third front' trying to undermine the EU along with Russian aggression and Islamic extremism

'It's playing with fire knowing what it has created in the past, Mr Verhofstadt said in a speech at the Chatham House think tank in central London, reminding people that natinalism had led to the slaughter of millions of Europeans in the world wars and beyond.  

'Twenty million people have died because of nationalism in Europe,' he told the central London audience.

'There is not one family living on the continent and certainly also not in Britain who has no grandfather, grandmother, member of their family, who was not a victim of these stupidities and of these atrocities at the end of the 19th and the whole 20th century.

'So putting your political thinking and your future organisation of Europe on nationalist ideas is the most stupid thing that you can do.'

Mr Verhofstadt said he was drawing up plans to offer British citizens the chance to maintain their EU citizenship after Britain officially cuts ties with Brussels. 

Mr Verhofstadt, pictured at the Chatham House think tank in central London today, is one of the biggest supporters of further European for integration and repeatedly criticised Britain's decision to leave

The proposals could mean Britons paying to maintain links with the EU and allowing them unrestricted access to labour markets across the continent. 

The Belgian politician said he was preparing a resolution to put to MEPs once negotiations start to be 'open and generous' to individual UK citizens. 

He said: 'I can tell you I receive every day tens of letters... millions of citizens who are saying "don't leave us alone, we feel still European citizens, and we want to continue our link to Europe because we are part of the same civilisation".

'That is what we don't understand in Europe, we have a common heritage - a common civilisation, history, architectural, cultural, literature, you name it.'

Mr Verhofstadt added: 'We are scrutinising, thinking, debating how we could achieve that.

'That individual UK citizens would think their links with Europe are not broken.'