The US government has just sent a new ambassador to the UK – and one of his first acts on British soil was a piece of cat-themed diplomacy.

Woody Johnson, the billionaire owner of the New York Jets American football team, gave a cat-sized bow tie, branded with the US flag, to the Foreign Office’s pet cat.

Palmerston, an adopted rescue cat who now lives in the Whitehall department, showed off the present on Twitter and thanked the US embassy.

He hailed the present as “a symbol of our meow-mentous relationship.”

Johnson's present was made public the day after his first meeting with Boris Johnson, the UK Foreign Secretary.

The ambassador post had gone unfilled since Donald Trump took office and recalled Obama's ambassador Matthew Barzun.

There has been some tension between the UK and US in the early months of the Trump administration.

The President directly attacked London's mayor Sadiq Khan for his response to the terror attack on London Bridge.

Shortly afterward, the US embassy in London seemed to contradict Trump, posting a message of condolence praising Khan's leadership.

Trump is due to make a state visit to the UK, but there have been significant protests against the the trip and plans for the Queen to receive him remain vague.