Donald Trump floats Nigel Farage for ambassador post - but there's a catch

President-elect Donald Trump has suggested that Nigel Farage, the interim leader of the UK Independence Party, would make a "great" British ambassador to the US.

There's one little caveat, though. The position is not vacant, as pointed out by Downing Street.

In a late-night tweet, Trump claimed "many people would like to see @Nigel_Farage represent Great Britain as their Ambassador to the United States."

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

In response to the tweet, Farage told BBC Breakfast he'd been awake since 2.30am UK time.

He called the tweet "a bolt from the blue" and stressed he doesn't see himself as a diplomatic figure though "this is not the normal course of events".

But a spokesman for Downing Street said: "There is no vacancy. We already have an excellent ambassador to the US."

The current UK ambassador to the US is Sir Kim Darroch, 62, who has been in post since January this year. He previously served as the UK's national security adviser and permanent representative to the European Union.

Last week, Farage called for Darroch to resign because he's a "fanatical Europhile and part of the old regime" whose views would be "diametrically opposed to Trump's".

Farage, who is a member of the European parliament, recently suggested he could launch another attempt to become an MP.

Following Trump's surprise victory at the US presidential election, Farage flew to New York to meet the new president-elect, becoming the first British politician to do so.

The two were pictured smiling gleefully in front of Trump Tower's golden elevator. 

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

During an hour-long meeting in New York, the two discussed "freedom and winning," according to a Trump adviser.

In a tweet accompanying the picture, Farage boasted that "support for the U.S.-UK relationship is very strong," adding: "This is a man with whom we can do business."

The move was widely seen as a display of diplomatic humiliation for UK prime minister Theresa May, who was the 11th world leader called by Trump after his victory.

Farage offered to help Theresa May get to know Trump and help build bridges with the new U.S. administration.

However, the prime minister rebutted his proposal with a strong statement:

“The president-elect talked about enjoying the same close relationship that Reagan and Thatcher did. I don’t remember there being a third person in that relationship,” May’s official spokeswoman said.