US President-elect Donald Trump's has nominated billionaire Woody Johnson as ambassador to the UK.
Trump revealed that he wants the owner of the New York Jets American football team to get the prestigious diplomatic posting - known as ambassador to the Court of St James's - in characteristically unorthodox circumstances.
Speaking at a luncheon in Washington DC the day before he is sworn in as US president, Trump introduced a guest as "sitting next to the ambassador Woody Johnson, going to Saint James".
The president-elect then said: "Congratulations, Woody."
In Britain's first official response to the news, the UK's ambassador to the US, Kim Darroch, welcomed the move, tweeting: "Congratulations @WoodyJohnson4 on nomination as US Ambassador to the UK! Surely you can replicate the success of @NYJets in London 2015."
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Chairman of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee Crispin Blunt told the Press Association: "I have no doubt he will be able to carry out the duties of ambassador to the Court of St James's with considerable style."
Tory former foreign secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind told the Press Association: "It looks like Mr Trump has done it in his own inimitable way. The important thing is whether he turns out to be a good choice."
The appointment has not yet been formally announced butJohnson had been considered a front-runner for the position for weeks.
The billionaire businessman and philanthropist from the Johnson & Johnson family has known Trump for years, but originally supported rival Jeb Bush in the Republican primaries.
The ambassadorial appointment will need to be approved by the US Senate.
