Leading Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage said on Tuesday he was in a good position to help Britain build ties with Donald Trump after the U.S. President-elect tweeted that Farage should be British ambassador to Washington.
“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,” Farage, leader of the opposition UK Independence Party (UKIP), wrote in a column for the Breitbart website.
“The world has changed and it’s time that Downing Street did too,” he said, referring to Prime Minister Theresa May’s office.
Trump, who after his election victory met Farage ahead of any EU leaders, had said on Twitter that “many people” would like to see the UKIP leader, who is on very bad terms with the ruling Conservatives, as Britain’s ambassador.
Many people would like to see @Nigel_Farage represent Great Britain as their Ambassador to the United States. He would do a great job!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 22, 2016
Britain’s Brexit Secretary David Davis said earlier Tuesday there was no vacancy for the job of ambassador to Washington as the incumbent was very good.
“People can say what they like but the simple truth is there’s no vacancy. The ambassador there is very very good, as we’ve seen,” Davis told the BBC.
“We believe in free speech—we have a very good ambassador in Washington, Kim Darroch, and he’ll be there for years,” Davis said. Darroch did not reply to requests for comment.