New York Jets owner Woody Johnson is new US ambassador to UK

A billionaire sports tycoon has been confirmed as the US ambassador to Britain.
New York Jets NFL football owner Woody Johnson. Picture; APNew York Jets NFL football owner Woody Johnson. Picture; AP
New York Jets NFL football owner Woody Johnson. Picture; AP

Woody Johnson, owner of the New York Jets American football team, was nominated by Donald Trump to be the top US diplomat in London - also known as the Ambassador to the Court of St James’s.

The 70-year-old heir to the Johnson & Johnson fortune raised money for his fellow billionaire’s presidential campaign and donated 1 million dollars (£760,000) to his inaugural committee.

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The US Senate confirmed the nomination on Thursday, although it has not been announced when he will arrive in the UK.

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Donald Trump nominates New York Jets owner as UK ambassador

According to financial news site Bloomberg, Mr Johnson has a net worth of 4.2 billion dollars (£3.2 billion) and bought the Jets for 635 million dollars (£483 million) in 2000.

His wealth was made public after his nomination, a requirement of which was that his financial arrangements were reviewed by the US Office of Government Ethics.

The disclosure earned him a place in Bloomberg Billionaire Index, a list of the top 500 richest people in the world, with Mr Johnson ranked the 462nd.

Mr Trump tipped the tycoon for the job when he said Mr Johnson was “going to St James’s” during a lunch in January.

At the time the philanthropist’s appointment was welcomed as a “stylish” choice.

Now it has been approved Mr Johnson is expected to hand over his positions as chairman and chief executive of the Jets to his brother, Christopher.

The nomination was confirmed as it emerged a grand jury had been empanelled in the probe into Russian meddling in the election.

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Grand juries are commonly used in the US legal system to summons witnesses and order records, though they do not suggest any criminal charges are imminent.

Mr Trump said he hopes for a “truly honest” outcome from the investigation.

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