UK rejects Trump’s call for Farage to be made US ambassador
UK rejects Donald Trump's call for Nigel Farage to be appointed ambassador to the US, prompting the interim UKIP leader to accuse Downing Street of putting its dislike of him ahead of the national interest
Downing Street and the UK Foreign Office have dismissed a suggestion from US president-elect Donald Trump that Nigel Farage would make a good ambassador to Washington.
“As far as the ambassador goes, there is no vacancy for that position. We have an excellent ambassador to the United States [Sir Kim Darroch] and he will continue his work,” a spokesperson for Prime Minister Theresa May told reporters.
However, May refused to criticise Trump’s call for the interim UKIP leader to be made ambassador, stressing that it was “important to reiterate that the UK already has an incredibly strong and enduring relationship with the United States”.
Overnight, Trump tweeted that Farage’s appointment as ambassador to the US would be a popular choice, an unprecedented comment from an incoming US president in suggesting a foreign appointment to another world leader.
“Many people would like to see Nigel Farage represent Great Britain as their ambassador to the United States. He would do a great job!” he tweeted.
Farage responded by accusing Downing Street of putting its dislike of him ahead of the national interest.
Writing for Breitbart, whose former executive chairman Stephen Bannon has been appointed Trump’s chief strategist, Farage wrote: “At every stage I am greeted by negative comments coming out of Downing Street.
“The dislike of me, UKIP and the referendum result is more important to them than what could be good for our country.
“Politicians who have been openly abusive about Trump now pretend to be his friend. It is career politics at its worst and it is now getting in the way of the national interest.
“I have said since the now famous photograph with Donald Trump 10 days ago that I would do anything to help our national interest and to help cement ties with the incoming Anglophile administration.
“I have known several of the Trump team for years and I am in a good position with the president-elect’s support to help. The world has changed and it’s time that Downing Street did too.”
