Nigel Farage has announced plans to apologise to the American people on behalf of Britain for criticisms made of Donald Trump during his presidential campaign.

The interim Ukip leader said he would travel to the US at the end of the week in an effort to cement ties with Washington DC, after becoming the first British politician to meet the President-elect after his shock election victory at the beginning of the month.

Speaking on LBC on Sunday, Mr Farage also reiterated his desire to facilitate an introduction between Theresa May and Mr Trump “formally or informally”, despite Downing Street confirming: “There is no vacancy. We have an excellent ambassador to the US.”

Last week, President-elect Trump tweeted to say: "Many people would like to see Nigel Farage represent Great Britain as their Ambassador to the United States. He would do a great job!"

And Mr Farage said: “Regardless of what Downing Street thinks, I’m going back to America at the end of this week, I’m going to meet all sorts of people and I shall say to them, regardless whether the government uses me or not, please forgive some of the things that were said about your President during the election campaign, it’s in both of our interests to get closer,” he said.

“The best thing for us would be to have the best possible relationship with America, let’s start talking and get closer.”

He also hit out at Ms May’s reluctance to involve him as a third party in the UK-US “special relationship”.

“I’m happy to help formally or informally, I’m happy to make an introduction. But I just think it is ridiculous, petty and potentially against the national interest not even to ring me up and have a chat with me, let alone ask me to make some introductions,” he said.

“It isn’t just Trump, but quite a few of Trump’s team now taking senior positions that I have known and got on with for years I have a slight advantage but I promise you I’m not bigging myself up in any way.”

The comments came some weeks after an ecstatic Mr Farage was photographed with Mr Trump, who have both sought to present themselves as “anti-establishment”, in front of a gold-plated lift at Trump Tower in New York.

Fellow Leave advocates Arron Banks, Andy Wigmore and Raheem Kassam were also in attendance at the President-elect’s first meeting with a British politician.

After spending more than an hour with the Mr Trump, the Brexit campaigner urged Ms May to stop running him down and instead use his closeness to Mr Trump to “put the national interest first”.

He also said the new US leader’s team was concerned by disparaging comments made about him in London during his election campaign.

The meeting came amid claims, not denied by Mr Farage, that he had spoken with Tory ministers about serving as an intermediary to try and improve relations with the new US leader.