Ukip's leader Paul Nuttall has officially requested Nigel Farage receive a knighthood from the Queen.

In a letter - co-signed by three Ukip peers - to the official honours committee, Mr Nuttall credits his predecessor with securing and then helping win the Brexit referendum.

And he claims Mr Farage is now a person of 'international significance' because he is friends with US President-elect Donald Trump.

Consideration for honours is supposed to be confidential. It involves scrutiny by an independent committee and a recommendation to No 10 and the Palace.

Ukip leader Paul Nuttall has written to the honours committee to request a knighthood for his predecessor Nigel Farage

The letter said: 'After taking back the UKIP leadership in 2010, he built it into a party which won the last EU Elections, and for which 3.8 million people voted in last year's General Election.

'This amounted to 12.6 per cent of the votes cast, or one third of those received by the successful Conservative Party.

'More than anyone else he provoked the recent referendum on EU membership, and his contribution to the result was very substantial.'

HOW ARE HONOURS AWARDED? Anybody can nominate anyone else for an honour but cannot suggest a specific rank. Recommendations for honours are generally kept secret and the Cabinet Office honours committee never confirms what it is considering. The only public response will come if an honour is granted to Mr Farage and he appears on the list. The next round is due to mark the Queen's birthday. Advertisement

It added: 'He has since become a figure of international signiﬁcance, thanks to his support for President-Elect Donald Trump during his campaign for the Republican leadership.

'He and Mr Trump enjoy a good personal relationship, which is likely to endure.'

Mr Nuttall told LBC radio: 'I think he should have been knighted in the New Year's Honours list.

'Nigel's done more in the past year than most of the people who were given honours or gongs in that list.'

Mr Farage talked up his chances of being Britain's official link with the United States - and was even endorsed by Mr Trump as a candidate to be the UK ambassador in Washington.

But instead his post-politics life is set to involve a nightly talk radio show on LBC.

Mr Farage's friendship with President-elect Donald Trump means he has 'international significance' and deserves a knighthood, Ukip said

Anybody can nominate anyone else for an honour but cannot suggest a specific rank - as Ukip have done with the request for a knighthood.

Recommendations for honours are generally kept secret and the Cabinet Office honours committee never confirms whether it is considering a request.