Donald Trump has tweeted that Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage “would do a great job” as British ambassador to the US, in the latest unorthodox intervention from the president-elect.
The decision on who is appointed to represent the United Kingdom in Washington is a matter for the British government, but that did not stop the controversial property-mogul-turned-world-leader from weighing in on social media, France24 reported.
“Many people would like to see @Nigel_Farage represent Great Britain as their ambassador to the United States,” Trump said on his Twitter account. “He would do a great job!”
Farage, interim leader of the nationalist UK Independence Party that campaigned for Britain to leave the European Union, met recently with the president-elect at Trump Tower in New York.
“It was a great honor to spend time with @realDonaldTrump,” Farage tweeted at the time, posting a photo of the pair standing before a gilded doorway. “He was relaxed and full of good ideas. I’m confident he will be a good president.”
During the divisive US presidential campaign, Trump repeatedly compared his presidential bid to the Brexit referendum in which a majority of Britons voted to split from the EU.
Trump’s call on Twitter is unusual—ambassadors are appointed by the governments they represent, not by the administration of the country in which they serve.
Britain on Tuesday dismissed Trump’s unprecedented expression of support for Farage to be made British ambassador to Washington, saying pointedly that there is no vacancy for the job.
“There is no vacancy,” a Downing Street spokesman said when asked about Trump’s remark on Tuesday. “We already have an excellent ambassador to the US.”
Britain is keen to build bridges with Trump after many leading government figures criticized the president-elect during his successful election campaign. London is also interested in sounding out a US trade deal as it plots its departure from the European Union.
Queen Elizabeth II could host Trump within months of him becoming United States president, with the British government confirming on Monday that it was considering a state visit next year.
Royal officials said that the government was responsible for organizing state visits and a spokeswoman for Prime Minister Theresa May said that the proposal was “under consideration”.
Britain will not issue an invitation to a president-elect, but is expected to make its move shortly after Trump’s inauguration on January 20.
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