In an unprecedented move, President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday caused diplomatic ripples when he indicated that he would like to have far-right leader Nigel Farage, the figurehead of the Brexit movement, as the next British Ambassador to the US.
"Many people would like to see @Nigel_Farage represent Great Britain as their Ambassador to the United States. He would do a great job!" Trump said in a tweet today.
Trump and Farage, the leader of the UK Independence Party (UKIP), have very good relationship.
Farage was often seen by Trump's side during the election campaign and was among the first to fly out to the US to meet the President-elect after the election.
It is one of the rarest occasion that a foreign leader has indicated his favourite picture of a diplomatic envoy from other country.
While Farage said he was "very flattered", Downing Street in london issued a
statement dismissing any such possibility. "There is no vacancy. We have an excellent ambassador to the US," the statement said in reference to Sir Kim Darroch.
Darroch, formerly the UK’s national security adviser and permanent representative to the European Union, took over the role in January.
Farage said he had not been expecting Trump’s tweet, but described it as a signal that Downing Street needed to change its thinking about him.