Nigel Farage 'flattered' as Donald Trump backs him to be UK's ambassador to the US

Nigel Farage said he is "very flattered" by Donald Trump's calls for him to become Britain's next ambassador to the United States.

In a highly unusual intervention, the president-elect said the interim Ukip leader would do a "great job" and that "many people" wanted to see him as the UK's senior diplomat in Washington.

The tycoon's endorsement is likely to cause fresh embarrassment for the British Prime Minister, who was beaten to meeting the future president in person by Mr Farage.

Mr Farage said: "I'm very flattered by the comments and I have said since I met the president-elect that I would like to do anything I can to act in a positive way to help relationships between our two countries."