A former head of the civil service has said the UK might remain in a "more loosely aligned" European Union, despite the referendum vote to leave.

Lord O'Donnell told the Times it would take Parliament "years and years and years" to separate fully from Brussels.
"It very much depends what happens to public opinion and whether the EU changes before then," he said.
He later told the BBC he did not think the EU would make the radical changes needed for the UK to remain a member.
As Gus O'Donnell, he was cabinet secretary from 2005 to 2011 and is now a crossbencher in the House of Lords.
Lord O'Donnell told the Times: "Lots of people will say 'we've had the referendum, we've decided to go out, so that's it, it's all over'.
"It might be that the broader, more loosely aligned group is something that the UK is happy being a member of."
Asked about these comments, he told BBC Radio 4 this was an example of a "low-probability event that might mean we don't leave".
He also said his "central assumption" was that the EU would not radically change.
"The probability of us not leaving is very, very low and we need to get on and implement the people's decision," he added.
Lord O'Donnell said making Brexit happen would be difficult, partly because article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty - the step required to officially begin the process - was designed "in a way that is very strongly in favour of those who are staying, not the leaving party".
He said he "wouldn't be in a rush" to trigger article 50, as the government must first work out a "strategic plan to say 'what kind of UK do we want, what's our place in the world, what are we trying to achieve in these negotiations'".
Handling Brexit would be an "unprecedented challenge" for the government and the civil service, he added.
In his interview in the Times, Lord O'Donnell said Theresa May - who replaced David Cameron as prime minister after the UK public voted by 52% to 48% to leave the EU - now faced a "really difficult job".
"She's got to corral all these different individuals, come up with precisely what version of Brexit we want, what works best for the British people, and then go about implementing it," he said.
He said he was "not a big fan of referenda", adding that there were "ridiculous claims" on both sides in the UK's debate on EU membership.
Mrs May has said formal talks on Britain's "sensible and orderly departure" from the EU will not begin until next year - but she has been clear that "Brexit means Brexit".
Gus O'Donnell served as a press secretary under John Major, and then as cabinet secretary - the UK's most senior civil servant - in the cabinets of Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and David Cameron.


Northern Ireland's most visited and least popular tourist destinations last year have been revealed.

The Giant's Causeway came top, with 790,000 visits, followed by Titanic Belfast (630,000), the Ulster Museum (470,000) and Derry's Walls (370,000).
In a survey of overnight stays in local government districts, one in four stays were in Belfast, with Causeway Coast and Glens coming in second.
Castlereagh and Lisburn was the least popular area for overnight trips.
The figures were contained in a Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency report.
It identified visitor numbers to each of Northern Ireland's 11 local government districts and their most popular attractions.
Tourism Ireland CEO Niall Gibbons said the growth in holidaymakers coming to Northern Ireland from overseas was encouraging.
"Overseas tourism delivers some Â£446m for the Northern Ireland economy, helping to sustain valuable employment in communities right across the province.
"And, I am pleased to report that sentiment in general for 2015 from our tourism partners overseas (including tour operators and carriers), as well as our industry partners around Northern Ireland (including hoteliers and visitor attractions such as Titanic Belfast), is largely optimistic."


Joan Edmundsson's goal gave Faroe Islands a shock win over Greece and increased the pressure on coach Claudio Ranieri.

The nation ranked 187 in the world moved ahead of Greece, who slipped to bottom of Euro 2016 qualifying Group F with one point from four matches.
The only goal came in the 61st minute as Edmundsson steered in Brandur Olsen's mis-hit shot.
Panagiotis Kone went closest for Greece when he missed from six yards.
The Faroes created the better chances, Olsen hitting the post with a first-half free-kick before Frodi Benjaminsen's header was brilliantly saved by Orestis Karnezis.
The Greece goalkeeper also rushed out to deny Edmundsson - a former Newcastle youngster - with his face.
Greece, the Euro 2004 champions, have not won since former Chelsea manager Ranieri, 62, took over from Fernando Santos after this summer's World Cup.
Match ends, Greece 0, Faroe Islands 1.
Second Half ends, Greece 0, Faroe Islands 1.
Attempt missed. Lazaros Christodoulopoulos (Greece) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the right. Assisted by Panagiotis Kone.
Offside, Greece. Vasilis Torosidis tries a through ball, but Charalampos Mavrias is caught offside.
Kostas Manolas (Greece) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Klaemint Olsen (Faroe Islands).
Giannis Maniatis (Greece) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Hallur Hansson (Faroe Islands).
Giannis Maniatis (Greece) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Fródi Benjaminsen (Faroe Islands).
Kostas Manolas (Greece) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Substitution, Faroe Islands. Klaemint Olsen replaces Brandur Olsen.
Foul by Kostas Manolas (Greece).
Brandur Olsen (Faroe Islands) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Attempt missed. Charalampos Mavrias (Greece) header from the right side of the box is too high. Assisted by Petros Mantalos following a set piece situation.
Substitution, Faroe Islands. Odmar Faeroe replaces Joan Simun Edmundsson.
Lazaros Christodoulopoulos (Greece) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Jónas Thór Naes (Faroe Islands).
Andreas Samaris (Greece) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Pol Johannus Justinussen (Faroe Islands).
Corner,  Greece. Conceded by Sonni Nattestad.
Attempt missed. Panagiotis Kone (Greece) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the left. Assisted by Stefanos Athanasiadis.
Lazaros Christodoulopoulos (Greece) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Joan Simun Edmundsson (Faroe Islands).
Attempt saved. Lazaros Christodoulopoulos (Greece) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Vasilis Torosidis.
Substitution, Greece. Petros Mantalos replaces Nikos Karabelas.
Attempt blocked. Andreas Samaris (Greece) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Corner,  Greece. Conceded by Sonni Nattestad.
Attempt blocked. Kostas Manolas (Greece) header from very close range is blocked. Assisted by Lazaros Christodoulopoulos with a cross.
Corner,  Greece. Conceded by Atli Gregersen.
Substitution, Faroe Islands. Pol Johannus Justinussen replaces Christian Holst.
Corner,  Greece. Conceded by Atli Gregersen.
Attempt missed. Panagiotis Kone (Greece) right footed shot from outside the box is just a bit too high. Assisted by Lazaros Christodoulopoulos.
Attempt missed. Joan Simun Edmundsson (Faroe Islands) left footed shot from the right side of the box is high and wide to the left. Assisted by Brandur Olsen.
Attempt saved. Lazaros Christodoulopoulos (Greece) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Giannis Maniatis.
Attempt missed. Panagiotis Kone (Greece) right footed shot from very close range is just a bit too high. Assisted by Vasilis Torosidis with a cross.
Corner,  Greece. Conceded by Jónas Thór Naes.
Attempt missed. Stefanos Athanasiadis (Greece) header from the centre of the box is too high. Assisted by Andreas Samaris with a cross.
Attempt missed. Charalampos Mavrias (Greece) header from the centre of the box is too high. Assisted by Panagiotis Kone with a cross.
Giannis Maniatis (Greece) wins a free kick in the attacking half.


More space to treat premature babies will be created at Wales' biggest hospital in a £7.5m modernisation plan.

The expanded neonatal unit at Cardiff's University Hospital of Wales will have room for an extra six cots.
Currently closed to new admissions due to infection, a new layout is designed to limit such problems in future.
Health Minister Mark Drakeford said the Welsh government funding would allow staff to provide the best possible care for babies and their families.
Cardiff and Vale University Health Board closed the unit in early December after three babies tested positive for Acinetobacter baumannii bacteria, which tends to infect those who are already sick and have a weakened immune system.
Typically it manages to attack the lungs leading to a form of pneumonia.
The same infection forced the closure of the unit in August for several weeks.
"We are investing £7.5m of new funding to completely modernise the neonatal unit at the University Hospital Wales so that staff are able to provide the best care possible for babies and their families in the most modern environment possible," said Mr Drakeford.
"This investment will increase the space available around each cot and improve infection prevention and control.
"The refurbishment has been planned with the future in mind, with space for six more cots."
The work is due to be finished by summer 2016.


A number of residents had to leave their homes in Magherafelt following the discovery of a suspicious object on Friday night.

The alert began after police called to a house in Leckagh Drive following reports all of its windows had been broken.
They found and examined a suspicious object which was discovered to be a hoax.
Residents were allowed back into their homes after midnight.


Former West Brom manager Pepe Mel has been appointed coach of struggling La Liga side Deportivo La Coruna.

Gaizka Garitano was sacked on Saturday as Deportivo registered their fourth consecutive league defeat.
Mel, 54, only lasted 17 games in charge at West Brom in 2014 and has not managed since he was sacked by Real Betis in January 2016.
Deportivo, league champions in 2000, are two points above the relegation zone having not won since December.
He is the club's seventh manager in six years and has been put in charge until the end of the season.


Women's Super League One will be bigger than ever this year, with an expanded nine-team competition starting on Wednesday, 23 March.

When it comes to title races, things could hardly be tighter than they have been in the women's top-flight in recent years, with the league champions decided on the final day in both 2014 and 2015.
Chelsea start their title defence against newly-promoted Doncaster Rovers Belles, while Reading make a busy start to the season with an opening-week double header away from home, at Arsenal and then Sunderland.
BBC Sport examines what could be key moments for each club during the 2016 campaign.
Last season: Third
Fixture to watch: Manchester City (a), 28 March
BBC Sport's Tom Garry: The Gunners impressed on the road in 2015 and their first away game of 2016 will inject some early intrigue into the title race.
Pedro Martinez Losa's side travel to rivals Manchester City - a fixture in which they earned a vital 1-0 win last year, arguably costing City the title in the process.
Matches between the "big three" title contenders could sway the entire season and neither Arsenal nor City will want to slip up as early as March.
Last season: Sixth
Fixture to watch: Liverpool (a), 23 March
Birmingham City have been among the least active in the off-season transfer market, with manager David Parker saying it is "essential" the club produce home-grown talent.
Losing versatile England winger Karen Carney, who was the first woman inducted to Birmingham City's Hall of Fame, to champions Chelsea is a major blow.
Blues spent much of last season battling to avoid relegation. They eventually finished third from bottom ahead of Liverpool, and the opening-day test against a new-look Reds side could be insightful.
Media playback is not supported on this device
Last season: Champions
Fixture to watch: Reading (a), 11 September
BBC Sport's Tom Garry: One of the highest-profile stories of last season was Chelsea's signing of England striker Fran Kirby, 22, from her childhood club Reading.
Now, following her old side's promotion to the top flight, Kirby will make an emotional return to face the Royals in September.
Still adored by most Reading fans, will 'mini-Messi' find the net against her old side, at what will be a key time in the season for both clubs?
Last season: Promoted, second in WSL 2
Fixture to watch: Manchester City (a), 2 May
Doncaster Rovers Belles' demotion from WSL 1 to make way for Manchester City in 2014 was branded "scandalous" at the time, but it also proved to be the rebirth of one of the oldest clubs in the women's game in England.
The Belles have since faced Manchester City three times in the past two seasons in cup competitions and even beat them the first time they met in 2014.
A league meeting, however, will pack even more emotion for Doncaster on their return to the top flight.
Last season: Seventh
Fixture to watch: Arsenal (a), 31 July
There is nothing like a good build-up to generate excitement around a tasty fixture.
That is exactly what will happen when Liverpool travel to Arsenal in July, and come up against a side bolstered by the additions of two of the Reds' biggest stars - England international Fara Williams and Nigeria striker Asisat Oshoala.
To magnify the rivalry even further, the two previous WSL champions also meet on the last day of the season.
Last season: Second
Fixture to watch: Chelsea (a), 19 May
Manchester City have been a growing force in the women's game since their introduction to WSL 1 in 2014. Last season they finished second to Chelsea, two points off top spot.
Taking one win from their opening five league games last term ultimately cost them. This season, by the time they meet Chelsea in May - their sixth league game - City will want their title ambitions to be right on track.
Last season: Fifth
Fixture to watch: Chelsea (h), 6 November.
For a third successive season, Notts County could help decide the season on the final day - if it goes that far.
Chelsea, the defending champions and one of the favourites for the title in 2016, will make the trip to Meadow Lane on 6 November.
Notts faced a Manchester City side still in the title hunt on the last day of the 2015 campaign, while Birmingham City fell short of the title a year earlier following a 2-2 draw with Notts.
Last season: Promoted, WSL 2 champions
Fixture to watch: Arsenal (h), 27 April
Reading begin life in the top flight with three games away from home, starting with an opening-week double-header at Arsenal and Sunderland.
After facing Notts County at Meadow Lane, the Royals get to move into Adams Park for their first home game, which is against a Gunners side they will have already faced about a month earlier.
Last season: Fourth
Fixture to watch: Reading (h), 26 March
Sunderland were a sensation in their first season in WSL 1 in 2015, mixing it with the front-runners until July. That, however, is when their form slumped dramatically, as they failed to win any of their last eight games.
With that miserable run still hanging over them, the Lady Black Cats will be eager to get off to a winning start against newly promoted Reading.


A police officer has been suspended from driving duties following a crash involving a patrol car.

The car was responding to an emergency call when it collided with a Land Rover, Gloucestershire Police said.
The crash happened at 16:30 BST on Thursday on The Folly in Parkend, Lydney.
A police spokeswoman said the male driver of the Land Rover, and two officers in the police car, suffered minor injuries.
She said: "The driver of the police car has been suspended from driving a police vehicle whilst inquiries into the circumstances of the collision are carried out."
The road was closed while the vehicles were recovered.
Correction: This story has been amended following clarification from Gloucestershire Police that a pregnant woman was not involved in the collision


Chris Brown has spoken about his assault on ex-girlfriend Rihanna, describing how a violent relationship culminated with him punching her.

The Barbados-born singer was pictured bruised and with a split lip after Brown attacked her in his car in 2009.
In a new documentary, he said Rihanna had been kicking and hitting him during an argument about another woman before he "really hit her" and bit her arm.
He said he felt like a "monster" and the fight would "haunt me forever".
Brown received five years probation and a community service order for the assault.
In the documentary, Chris Brown: Welcome to my Life, he said the relationship started going downhill after he admitted being unfaithful with a former employee, despite previously denying it.
After that revelation, Brown said Rihanna "hated" him and their relationship turned increasingly volatile.
"She didn't care, she just didn't trust me after that," he said. "From there, it just went downhill because it would be fights, it would be verbal fights, physical fights as well...
"We were fighting each other. She would hit me, I would hit her. But it never was OK."
The infamous 2009 assault happened on the way back from a party where Rihanna spotted the other woman.
She then found a message from her on his phone, which led to them "arguing and arguing and arguing" in the car, he said.
"I remember she was trying to kick me. It was just her just being upset. But then I really hit her. With a closed fist, like I punched her and it busted her lip. And when I saw it I was in shock. Why the hell did I hit her?
"From there, she just spit in my face, spit blood in my face, so it enraged me even more. It was a real fight in a car."
He said he realised it was a "petty, stupid fight" and pulled over, and Rihanna drove home on her own.
Of the police picture of Rihanna that showed her injuries, he said: "I look back at that picture and I'm like, 'That's not me, bro'. I hate it to this day.
"That's going to haunt me forever."
The National Domestic Violence freephone helpline can be reached in the UK on 0808 2000 247.
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.


Newly promoted Brighton and Hove Albion will be celebrating with an open-top bus tour through the city.

City council leader Warren Morgan announced the plans after the Seagulls secured promotion to the Premier League with a win over Wigan Athletic.
Players, managers and staff will join the parade along the seafront on 14 May which will precede a civic reception.
There will be extra cause to celebrate if Brighton beat Norwich City on Friday and win the Championship.
Councillor Morgan said: "I'm elated and relieved. We are finally there. It's been a long road since relegation from the top flight in '83, and a hard one since the end of the Goldstone era twenty years ago.
"We wouldn't be here now if it wasn't for Dick Knight, Martin Perry, Tony Bloom and all the fans who fought to keep the Albion alive and into our new home at Falmer. Thank you.
"Speaking as council leader, promotion to the Premier League could mean an economic boost for the city running into the hundreds of millions, and puts Brighton & Hove on the sporting map globally. But as a lifelong fan, all that matters to me is that we are going up.
"Chelsea, Liverpool, Spurs, Man United and Palace; we're on our way. And we've got Anthony Knockaert."
The promotion came 34 years after the club reached the FA Cup Final but were relegated.
The parade is likely to start at around 17:00 BST with the council and club working to finalise plans.


A lorry driver said he was attacked in Calais by migrants trying to board vehicles bound for the UK.

5 August 2016 Last updated at 19:43 BST
Rhys Williams, from Bicester, said his car was targeted on Thursday night.
Mr Williams, who works for the Road Haulage Association, described people with chainsaws and Molotov cocktail bombs, trying to stop lorries passing the "Jungle" migrant camp.
The Freight Transport Association has called on the British and French governments to do more to ensure the safety of truck drivers.


A tanker docking in the UK is transporting a controversial cargo of gas from the Peruvian Amazon.

It is thought to be the first shipment to the UK from the Camisea project in rainforest 60 miles from Machu Picchu.
Supporters of fracking say the UK should frack its own gas, rather than importing from sensitive regions like the Amazon.
But opponents of fracking say the practice creates disturbance and pollution and fuels climate change.
The tanker Gallina, owned by Shell, is scheduled to arrive at the Isle of Grain in Kent.
The gas project at Camisea field has been hugely contentious.
A report by the human rights organisation Survival International blamed developers for bringing diseases which killed people from previously uncontacted tribes.
They were later praised for minimising environmental damage and for boosting the economy of Peru.
But the same report said indigenous people had not shared the gains.
Nick Grealy, a shale gas proponent, told BBC News: "Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace oppose fracking - but surely they would be appalled to be getting gas from the Amazon?
"I share their concern about climate change, but environmentalists are scoring own goals with this one."
Friends of the Earth replied: "We think we should leave our gas in the ground and Peru should leave its gas in the ground."
Shell declined to comment on the Peruvian shipment.
An environmental factor in the fracking debate is the comparison between the carbon emissions from fracked gas and the emissions from compressing conventional gas to ship it from countries like Peru.
The government's official adviser, the Committee on Climate Change, says current evidence suggests that "well-regulated domestic production could have an emissions footprint slightly smaller than that of imported liquefied natural gas".
The committee says that, although gas without carbon capture and storage should be almost eliminated from UK electricity production in the early 2030s, it will still be used for heating up towards 2050.
The committee estimates that burning gas is almost half as bad for the climate as coal.
There are still many uncertainties, though, over the amount of methane - a potent greenhouse gas - that leaks from fracking sites.
US President Donald Trump plans to relax regulations on methane leaks from fracking in order to accelerate America's boom in cheap energy.
Many environmentalists in the UK oppose the practice of fracking.
The process involves large volumes of water being pumped at pressure into a shale rock formation together with sand grains and chemicals, which are used to keep the tiny fractures open in the rock to allow the gas to flow.
In the UK, one shale gas well in Yorkshire has been approved, and in Lancashire construction has started at one site. Drilling is expected to start by the end of the year.
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Glamorgan coach Robert Croft says they can take heart from Gloucestershire and Northants' recent trophy wins, as they aim to end 13 years without a trophy.

Northants' two T20 titles in 2013 and 2016 and Gloucestershire's One-Day Cup win in 2015 have shown big budgets are not always essential for silverware.
"When you see those sides winning trophies, it gives you optimism," former England bowler Croft said.
Croft is reluctant to single out any particular title as a target, however.
Former all-rounder, who won both four-day and one-day honours as a player, is reluctant to single out any particular competition as a target in 2017.
The former all-rounder, who won both four-day and one-day honours as a player continued: "In 1997, a lot of us thought we'd do well in one-day cricket, and we won the Championship. I've sat in dressing rooms when we thought we'd do well in four-day cricket and we've won one-day competitions [in 2002 and 2004].
"My attitude to putting a team in the field is that whatever form of the game we're playing in, we go out to win it. You find that as you go along in the season, your path is found, which form of the game you do better in."
Quick bowler Marchant de Lange has been on Glamorgan's radar for several months, though confirming the deal has dragged on, but there is unlikely to be another overseas player for the T20 Blast.
Meanwhile it seems the end of an era with the departure of Glamorgan stalwarts Mark Wallace and Dean Cosker to the Professional Cricketers' Association and the ECB, after 18 and 21 years' service respectively.
Former Northants opener James Kettleborough was also released after a two-year contract.
South African fast bowler de Lange, whom the county hope to capture before the season starts, would be their only new signing for 2017.
Glamorgan chief executive Hugh Morris says he expects the county to be "much better" in the Championship and competitive in limited-overs cricket in 2017, despite their lack of new faces and a reliance on home-grown talent flourishing.
"We're looking for a big improvement in red-ball cricket" Morris told BBC Wales Sport.
"We won three games [in the Championship] and we should have won six. When we get into positions to win games, we've got to be more ruthless.
"I'm expecting us to continue to be competitive in white-ball cricket, we've got to the [T20 Blast] knock-out stages and we're pretty well set up in that competition."
Morris hopes that a return to form for captain Jacques Rudolph, and a return to fitness for Chris Cooke, together with Colin Ingram being available across all formats after a knee operation, will make a key difference.
"We'll have a lot more fire-power in the batting department than we had for most of last season" he declared.
Teenage batsman Kiran Carlson and seamer Lukas Carey were both handed unexpected chances in 2016, and will be looking to build their careers this year- though they would do well to become first-team regulars.
Of the slightly older players, the likes of Aneurin Donald and David Lloyd played spectacular innings on occasion, but now need to turn those efforts into a consistent run-scoring record through the season.
"I bottled it a little bit last year, I had some opportunities to kick on" admitted Donald, who fell just short of a thousand first-class runs despite his majestic 234 against Derbyshire at Colwyn Bay.
"It's about making more first-class hundreds, and that thousand is always going to be the target, and I'm really looking forward to the T20 Blast and trying to make a name for myself with a few big ones."
Colin Ingram will hope to spread his batting magic across all competitions after being restricted to an admittedly stellar one-day season in 2016, while Cooke's back will have to stand up to the rigour of keeping wicket regularly.
If Ingram, Cooke, and Rudolph are regularly in the runs, there will be plenty to build on.
But pre-season injuries to Will Bragg, Graham Wagg and 2016 star discovery Timm van der Gugten show the importance of keeping the front-line players off the treatment table.
"To have Colin and Chris back in the mix as senior batters will just bolster that middle order, and if we can have Marchant, Hoges (Michael Hogan), Timm, Waggy, Mesch (Craig Meschede) fighting for three or four places that would be the ideal situation" said captain Jacques Rudolph.
"Last season I was confident we could push for [Championship] promotion, but the first three or four games we struggled, and that put us on the back foot, so the key will be to start really well."
Glamorgan start their Championship campaign at Northants on Friday 7 April, with three four-day games before the One-Day Cup is played in a block of eight 50-overs matches.


A former Butlin's Redcoat who is suffering from Alzheimer's has become an internet star singing carpool karaoke.

Ted McDermott, 79 - also known online as The Songaminute Man - was diagnosed with dementia in 2013 after decades of entertaining in pubs and clubs.
He was filmed by his son singing Quando, Quando, Quando in the car as they drove around Blackburn in May.
The videos have now been watched by thousands around the world on YouTube.
"It's gone crazy," his son Simon McDermott, 40, said.
"The song Quando, Quando, Quando has been really popular. People love it. We have a link on it to our fund-raising page.
"We've nearly raised Â£30,000 for the Alzheimer's Society now."
The Carpool Karaoke craze originated with James Corden's Late Late Show in the United States, which features stars such as Adele and Michelle Obama singing along with Corden in a car.
"We've had messages from people all over the world saying the videos have brought them so much joy," added Mr McDermott.
"I'm hoping to put some more videos up. I'd love to get him singing with a band, he'd really love that.
"My dad's been a singer all his life and entertainer all his life singing in cubs across the North West.
"He's 80 on Sunday and he is the eldest of 14, so we had a big party for him.
"He's a real character and he loves singing. He's got a good voice."


A murder inquiry has started following the death of a man who was stabbed in the chest in Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex.

The victim, a man in his 30s, was found collapsed in Park Road on Tuesday afternoon following an attack in a nearby scrap yard, Essex Police said.
He was given treatment at the scene but later died in hospital.
Detectives are now looking for two men and say they "urgently need any information from members of the public" in order to trace them.
The pair were seen running away from a scrap yard in Park Lane where police believe the victim was stabbed.
One suspect is described as white, "gaunt-looking", of skinny build and between 20 and 30 years old.
The second man was darker-skinned, an Essex Police spokesman said.


There were some chaotic scenes in Northern Ireland during Friday's annual pre-Christmas shopping spree known as Black Friday.

Media playback is unsupported on your device
28 November 2014 Last updated at 20:22 GMT
It is a day of massive discounts in America after Thanksgiving, and is fast becoming part of the run-up to Christmas in the UK.
BBC Newsline's Mark Simpson reports.


A US judge has dismissed Apple's case in which it alleged that Google's Motorola unit was seeking excessive royalty payments for patents.

Motorola has sought 2.25% of the price of Apple products that use some of its patents, which Apple said was too high.
Last week, Motorola asked the court to set a price but Apple said it would not pay more than $1 (Â£0.60) per device.
Firms that own industry-essential patents are expected to offer them under fair licensing terms.
Motorola said it was still open to negotiations with Apple and was interested in reaching an agreement.
"Motorola has long offered licensing to our extensive patent portfolio at a reasonable and non-discriminatory rate in line with industry standards," the firm said in its statement.
Google finalised its purchase of Motorola Mobility earlier this year for $12.5bn (Â£7.9bn).
The deal was Google's biggest acquisition ever and gave it access to more than 17,000 of Motorola's valuable patents.
While the firm is required to offer industry-essential patents at terms that are "fair, reasonable, and nondiscriminatory" or Frand for short, analysts said it was difficult to determine what a reasonable royalty was.
"It is very tough to determine what a fair price is of any patent held by a firm," Andrew Milroy of Frost & Sullivan told the BBC.
"There are complex financial models that are used to evaluate it - but there is a lot of subjectivity and assumption that goes into those.
"It can hardly be described as a science."
Meanwhile, some analysts said the dismissal of the case was a major setback for Apple as it was likely to give Motorola an upper hand in negotiations.
"This puts Apple back into the position it was before," said Lea Shaver, an intellectual property professor at Indiana University School of Law,


MSPs begin an inquiry into the closure of the Forth Road Bridge.

The bridge was closed for much of December after damaged steelwork was discovered. It remains closed to HGVs.
The infrastructure and capital investment committee is holding a "focused" inquiry into maintenance in recent years and the structural defect behind the closure.
The first session is taking evidence from Transport Scotland and bridge operators Amey.
The specific remit of the inquiry is to "examine the management, monitoring and maintenance of the Forth Road Bridge principally in the 10 year period prior to its closure on public safety grounds in December 2015".
Substantial disruption was caused by the closure, and the Scottish government clashed with opposition parties repeatedly over the matter.
A number of claims and counter-claims were exchanged over what work had been done on the bridge and what warnings were given about potential problems, which the committee is now seeking to address.
An independent technical expert has been taken on to advise MSPs during the inquiry, which will take evidence in January and February before reporting in March.
Amey's predecessor, the Forth Estuary Transport Authority, and Transport Minister Derek Mackay are also expected to be called before the committee.
The bridge was closed to all traffic on 4 December after a 20mm shear fault was discovered in a truss-end link, part of the structure which helps hold the carriageway up.
A temporary repair saw metal splints winched into place and used to clamp the metalwork together, with similar work done on other similar parts of the bridge as a precaution and monitoring devices installed.
Although it was re-opened to the majority of traffic ahead of schedule on 23 December, the repair put in place - estimated to have cost about Â£2m - was not deemed strong enough to allow HGVs to cross.
A permanent repair to allow vehicles weighing more than 7.5 tonnes is forecast to be complete by mid-February. HGVs account for 9% of traffic and 32% of the weight the bridge normally carries.
These vehicles have been diverted up the Forth Valley around Kincardine Bridge since the closure.


The US has remembered the victims of the 9/11 attacks in a series of memorials marking the 12th anniversary.

The 11 September 2001 attacks killed almost 3,000 people in New York, the Washington DC area and Pennsylvania.
In New York, families of the victims read the names of each person who died at the World Trade Center.
President Barack Obama honoured the dead at a memorial ceremony outside the Pentagon.
"We pray for the memory of all those taken from us... Our hearts still ache for the futures snatched away, the lives that might have been," he said.
The attacks led to a long war in Afghanistan and created an expansion of government surveillance powers that have recently been the subject of intense debate.
A separate memorial service was held outside Shanksville, Pennsylvania, honouring the passengers and crew of United Flight 93. They struggled with the hijackers of the plane, preventing it from hitting its intended target, believed to be the White House or the US Capitol building.
All 33 passengers and seven crew members on the flight were killed after the plane crashed into a field about 75 miles (120km) south-east of Pittsburgh.
"No matter how many years pass, this time comes around each year, and it's always the same," Karen Hinson, who lost her brother, Michael Wittenstein, in New York, told the Associated Press news agency. His body was never found.
More than 1,000 people gathered on Wednesday at the National September 11 memorial plaza in New York City to read the names of all those killed in the 2001 and 1993 attacks on the building.
Bagpipes and a youth choir began the proceedings, held around two reflecting pools that stand in the footprint of the destroyed towers.
"To my nephew Michael Joseph Mullin, we miss you and think of you every single day," said one of the 250 people chosen to read names, many of them family members of the victims.
"You're gone but not forgotten," another woman said of her lost cousin.
The reading was paused for several moments of silence, including 8:46 local time (12:46 GMT), when the first plane hit the North Tower; when the second plane hit the South Tower; when each building fell; and when the third and fourth planes hit the Pentagon and the field outside Shanksville.
A number of other cities held memorial services on Wednesday.
Builders are meanwhile putting the finishing touches to the new World Trade Center tower and a museum dedicated to the attacks.
One World Trade Center is now the tallest building in the Western hemisphere, its spire reaching to 1,776ft (541m), a symbolic number alluding to the year of the US Declaration of Independence.
On Tuesday, a groundbreaking ceremony was held for what will be a visitor centre on the site of the Flight 93 national memorial park.
The building, expected to open in late 2015, will be broken in two where the plane flew overhead. Visitors have already left 35,000 tributes at the site.
Osama Bin Laden and al-Qaeda claimed responsibility for the 9/11 attacks, in which 19 hijackers also died when they seized control of four planes, crashing three of them into their intended targets.


A shortlist of 10 contenders will be named on Tuesday for next month's 60th BBC Sports Personality of the Year award.

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The names will be announced during the One Show on BBC One between 19:00 and 19:30 GMT.
A capacity crowd of about 12,000 will attend the show at the First Direct Arena in Leeds on Sunday, 15 December.
The programme will follow on from last year's awards where Sir Bradley Wiggins was crowned 2012 Sports Personality.
Full roll of honour
After Tuesday's announcement, there will be details of all the contenders and arrangements for public voting on the night at www.bbc.co.uk/sportspersonality.
Tour de France winner and Olympic road cycling champion Wiggins was the latest to join an illustrious roll of honour last year when he received the coveted trophy from the Duchess of Cambridge and former England football captain David Beckham, watched on television by more than 15m people.
Presenter Gary Lineker said: "It's going to be tough to follow last year, the most unbelievable sporting year in living memory, but the fact that it is the 60th anniversary, the fact that it is coming to Leeds, means it's still going to be a huge show."
Director of BBC Sport Barbara Slater added: "We're thrilled Leeds is to host BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2013. The sporting heritage of the city is outstanding and the new arena will be a great venue from which to celebrate the very best of sport."
Devised by Sir Paul Fox in 1954, the first Sports Personality of the Year was held at the Savoy Hotel in London, where it was presented by Peter Dimmock. World record-breaking 5,000m runner Sir Christopher Chataway beat four minute-mile hero Sir Roger Bannister to the award that year as the public voted for the first winner.
The trophy has since been won by many of the greats of British sport, including Bobby Moore, Princess Anne, Lord Coe, Daley Thompson, Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, Sir Steve Redgrave, David Beckham, Dame Kelly Homes, Andrew Flintoff, Sir Chris Hoy and many more.
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The show went on the road in 2006, taking in Birmingham, Liverpool, Sheffield, Manchester and London. To date, more than 55,000 people have enjoyed spending a spectacular evening with the stars of the sporting year.
Lineker added: "Taking the show out on the road has worked really well. It has proven to be hugely popular. You get thousands of people who can come along and enjoy the live show and it just becomes more of an event.
"When you get the people there who really want to be there - the supporters, the sports fans - it just adds to the atmosphere and I'm sure it will be the same in Leeds."
Most tickets for the event have been sold, although a limited number will be made available later in November.


Leaked proposals suggest the majority of libraries in West Berkshire will close, the BBC has been told.

It was previously thought smaller libraries would be merged as part of efforts to save Â£18.9m next year.
But Hungerford community magazine editor David Piper said he had obtained documents detailing plans to close the libraries instead.
West Berkshire Council said it had no choice but to consider closures in the face of cuts.
Libraries will be part of a budget proposal announcement on 15 February.
Mr Piper, 74, said libraries were as much a social hub for the older community as a place for books.
He said the closures "would be an unbelievable loss."
"People won't be able to come down and get books, have a chat, have a laugh, have a cup of coffee.
"Especially the older folk, what the devil are they going to do for books?"
West Berkshire Council currently runs nine libraries as well as a mobile library service.
Previously published budget cut included merging the libraries in Burghfield and Mortimer.
A council spokesman said: "We know our communities value libraries immensely and it's with a heavy heart that we have to look for further savings within our library service.
"Local residents should be under no illusion about the scale of the challenge we face in finding Â£18.9m savings - around a fifth of our entire budget - in one year.
"It means we now have to consider areas, such as reducing the number of libraries, which even a few weeks ago would have been unthinkable."


A Russian diplomat was found stabbed following a drunken quarrel in Ottawa, Canada, according to local media.

The 44-year-old man was taken to hospital in stable condition on Friday morning. Another man is in police custody but has not been charged.
A spokesman for Canada's Department of Foreign Affairs told the BBC there was no indication the attack was "politically motivated".
The Russian Embassy in Canada has declined to comment on the incident.
Police and paramedics were called shortly before 09:00 local time (13:00 GMT) on Friday to a residential building in a neighbourhood of Canada's capital with several embassies.
The victim, who paramedics believed was intoxicated, was in the lobby of the building when they arrived and initially refused treatment, the Ottawa Citizen reported.
He had been stabbed in the arm and the back and was transported to hospital for treatment.


Striker Robert Vittek is the headline absentee from the provisional 27-man squad Slovakia coach Jan Kozak has named for Euro 2016.

Vittek, 33, who is Slovakia's all-time top scorer with 23 goals, is injured.
Liverpool's Martin Skrtel is included in the squad after his injury-hit campaign in the Premier League.
Slovakia face Wales, Russia and England in Group B at the finals in France, with their first game against Chris Coleman's side on 11 June.
"The players' names for the nomination were clear so I had no reason to speculate," Kozak said.
Goalkeepers: Matus Kozacik, Jan Mucha, Jan Novota
Defenders: Peter Pekarik, Milan Skriniar, Martin Skrtel, Norbert Gyoember, Jan Durica, Kornel Salata, Tomas Hubocan, Dusan Svento, Lukas Tesak
Midfielders: Viktor Pecovsky, Matus Bero, Robert Mak, Erik Sabo, Juraj Kucka, Patrik Hrosovsky, Jan Gregus, Stanislav Sestak, Marek Hamsik, Ondrej Duda, Miroslav Stoch, Vladimir Weiss
Forwards: Michal Duris, Adam Nemec, Adam Zrelak


UK retailers have rejected government criticism they "remained silent" over the horsemeat crisis - as they begin to release test results on beef products.

In a public letter, 11 firms, including Tesco and Asda, said they shared shoppers' "anger and outrage".
Many retailers say results so far show no sign of horsemeat, but pubs owner Whitbread and school supplier Compass Group found horse DNA in some products.
Number 10 said it was pleased retailers had finally spoken out in public.
A Downing Street source said: "Consumer confidence is one of the things that has been missing and that needs the retailers to explain themselves, and what they have been doing."
Earlier, Downing Street said big retailers selling affected products had a responsibility to answer key questions on the scandal.
Sources said it was not "acceptable for retailers to remain silent while customers have been misled about the content of the food they have been buying".
Which products have been withdrawn?
Meanwhile, the results of up to one third of tests on the presence of horsemeat in processed meals ordered by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) are being released.
Iceland said that all of its own brand beef products have been found to be free from horsemeat.
The Co-Operative Group said 59 of its 102 own-brand minced beef products have been tested so far, with all found to be clear of horsemeat. And Morrisons says 68 test results on its products have not found horsemeat, with more results still to come.
Tesco says tests on 149 of its products are clear, and Sainsbury's say their tests show no horse adulteration.
But Whitbread, which supplies thousands of pubs and owns Premier Inn, Beefeater Grill and Brewers Fayre, has confirmed two of its products have been found to contain horsemeat.
And Compass Group, one of the biggest school food providers in the UK, says its tests have found  between 5% and 30% horse DNA in burgers it sold in Ireland and Northern Ireland.
It says the burgers were supplied by Rangeland Foods in County Monaghan, which previously withdrew more than 9,000 burgers made for the UK market after some were found to contain horsemeat.
A spokesman for Compass said the affected burgers had been supplied to a small number of sites on both sides of the Irish border, including two colleges which the firm would not name.
In other developments:
In the letter issued on Friday, the group of food suppliers said: "We can't accept a situation where the trust customers place in us is being compromised by fraudulent activity or even as alleged, an international criminal conspiracy.
"We will do whatever it takes to restore public confidence in the food they buy and eat."
They also said they were "working around the clock" to resolve the matter.
The letter was signed by chief executive of Tesco, Philip Clarke, Asda Stores boss, Andy Clarke, the chief executive of J Sainsbury, Justin King, and Dalton Philips, chief executive of Wm Morrison Supermarkets, among others.
Supermarket chain Morrisons also responded on Twitter, saying: "Contrary to what No10 is saying, we haven't all been silent."
A spokesman told BBC News the company had carried multiple interviews and had communicated with customers. "We couldn't have been more transparent," he said.
Last month, Irish food inspectors said they had found horsemeat in beefburgers made by firms in the Irish Republic and the UK, and sold by a number of UK supermarket chains, including Tesco, Iceland, Aldi and Lidl.
Since then, a growing number of UK retailers have recalled processed beef products found to contain horse DNA.
The British Retail Consortium's Helen Dickinson told BBC Radio 4 retailers had been focusing on the swift testing of products.
Ms Dickinson added lessons must be learned by "all parts of the food industry" in the UK and Europe.
Some shops have already recalled products found to be adulterated, including Asda, which withdrew a beef Bolognese sauce on Thursday - the first fresh beef product to be involved.
Aldi, Tesco and Findus have also withdrawn some beef-based ready meals.


A take-away delivery driver has been seriously injured and his car petrol-bombed in a targeted attack in Glasgow.

The 29-year-old man was assaulted while he sat in his red Honda Jazz in Castlemilk at about 18:50 on Thursday.
Four hours later a "petrol bomb"' was thrown at the car as it was being loaded on to a flat-bed removal truck as part of a police investigation.
Detectives said the victim was awaiting surgery for a serious arm injury and the car was completely burnt out.
Det Insp Tom McKean said officers knew this was targeted attack and both incidents were linked.
"There was no attempt to rob the man in his car just to injure him and then to go after his car," he said.
"The attack on the man happened mid-evening and in quite a busy area so I am sure someone will have seen it happen."
He added: "The burning of the car was just before 2300 hours. Castlemilk Road is residential and I have no doubt that this attack on the car would have been witnessed.
"Thankfully, the driver of the removal vehicle was not injured but this must have been a terrifying experience for him.
"Officers are carrying our door-to door- inquiries and reviewing CCTV to trace those responsible."
The victim was sitting in his car outside an Indian takeaway on Castlemilk Road when a man opened the driver's door and attacked him.
His attacker was white, 6ft tall, and of slim build. He was bald and wearing a black T-shirt.
Police said the man who threw the petrol bomb was wearing dark clothing.


Two tourists have paid to be sent around the Moon by US private rocket company SpaceX.

1 March 2017 Last updated at 07:02 GMT
The Moon hasn't been visited for more than 40 years.
The space tourists will skim its surface but won't land on it.
Lift off is scheduled for 2018.


Are we witnessing the final races of two long-serving former world champions?

And which drivers might Ferrari, McLaren and Williams target as they attempt to bridge the gap to the all-conquering Mercedes?
Sebastian Vettel is definitely staying for 2017, but the team have to decide whether to keep the 2007 world champion Kimi Raikkonen, whose contract ends this year.
This is a prime seat. It's not a Mercedes, but it is the next best thing at the moment. And Ferrari have their own special pull.
In my opinion, Ferrari should look at a change. In fact, I think they should have done so last year. I can see why they didn't given the new management and technical structure was still bedding in, but things have settled down now and they have to build towards the future.
Whether you like it or not, Raikkonen, who turns 37 in October, is not the future. He is a former world champion, but his best performances are in the past.
The last driver to win the world title with Ferrari, the Finn's form has been questionable since he rejoined the team in 2014. He was comprehensively out-paced by Fernando Alonso that year - and by Vettel when the four-time world champion arrived in 2015.
Raikkonen has improved this season, but has he done enough? I keep looking to the Spanish Grand Prix, where he was second behind Red Bull's Max Verstappen. He never applied enough pressure when he had the chance to chase the Dutchman down, not once showing his nose to Verstappen.
In reality, the question is not whether Raikkonen is good enough to keep his place at Ferrari - it's whether there is someone better.
Lots of drivers have been linked with them over the last few years. Among them was Nico Hulkenberg, who was on Ferrari's list when they re-signed Raikkonen for 2014. In fact, I understand 28-year-old Hulkenberg got as close as signing a Ferrari contract - it just wasn't signed by Ferrari.
But the German has been out-shone by Force India team-mate Sergio Perez this year, especially in the last few races. Mexican Perez, 26, was a Ferrari young driver not so long ago and has the backing of billionaire Carlos Slim Jr, who is on the board of tobacco giant Philip Morris, the team's biggest sponsor.
Williams driver Valtteri Bottas has also been linked to Ferrari, but, as with Hulkenberg, is not a compelling candidate right now. Then there is Romain Grosjean, who moved to the new Ferrari-backed Haas team this season with the hope of getting on to the Italian team's radar.
Without doubt, Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo would be the strongest option. If I was at Ferrari, I would have approached him after Monaco, where strategy errors cost him victory for the second race in succession. But it would be hard to get him given he is under contract.
Beyond that, the only other potentially available driver who I think would do a good job would be Toro Rosso's Carlos Sainz. He is quick, strong and consistent. The 21-year-old also speaks Italian, so would fit in nicely. Although Red Bull say they have taken up their contractual option on him and plan for him to stay at Toro Rosso next season, there is not an obvious progression for Sainz within Red Bull, as they will be sticking with Ricciardo and Verstappen as their senior drivers next year. So Ferrari would be an appealing option.
In my view, Ferrari's choice seems to come down to Sainz or Perez. I think both of them would be a better option than Raikkonen. Longer-term, Ferrari have some potentially very good drivers in their academy in Antonio Fuoco and Charles Leclerc. They should also look at GP2 front-runner Antonio Giovinazzi, who had a double win in Baku.
The choice at McLaren is much more straightforward. Alonso, 34, is under contract until the end of 2017 and his team-mate will be either Button or reserve driver Stoffel Vandoorne.
Button, champion in 2009, clearly wants to stay in F1, but the decision is not his. In my view, it is a slam-dunk in favour of Vandoorne.
McLaren say they are waiting until September to make the decision, which is when new chief executive officer Jost Capito is expected to finally join from VW. In reality, though, I suspect the decision is as good as made already.
Vandoorne has youth on his side and performed exceptionally well when he made his grand prix debut in Bahrain earlier this year, standing in for Alonso, who was ruled out by injury. The Belgian flew in from Japan on the Friday morning but out-qualified Button and went on to score a point in the race.
McLaren have an ageing driver line-up right now. Alonso and 36-year-old Button have three world titles between them, but those were all won several years ago and they cannot trade on them now.
Both need to perform - and they are undoubtedly doing that, especially Alonso. But Button continues to pull out good performances and results, too. However, Vandoorne is too good a prospect to let slip through their fingers and is the right choice.
Williams are interested in signing Button for 2017 to partner Bottas. The Englishman would replace Felipe Massa and would be a good, solid choice. But whether it is such an appealing prospect for Button is a different question.
As the Renault power-unit has improved this season, Williams have increasingly slipped behind Red Bull. If Honda can sort itself out for 2017, then there is the real possibility of Williams being behind McLaren as well.
That would mean Button could go from qualifying about 12th for McLaren this year to qualifying about 12th for Williams next year. That's not an especially enticing thought after the frustrations of the last two years, but Button loves racing so much that I suspect he would take it if it was on offer.
Button is not the only choice for Williams should they replace Massa. They need someone with experience, but they have that in Bottas, so they could look to youth. Equally, Williams may have to take finance into the equation, too.
They have to balance the books, and they don't have the backing of the big teams. Button would not earn anything like his current $15m salary if he went to Williams - and they may prefer to take a driver who costs less or even perhaps brings a measure of sponsorship to the team.
There is another more potentially enticing team - and that is Renault. They are struggling this year, still suffering from the lack of investment put into this year's car by the previous owners when they were Lotus.
But long-term, as a manufacturer with a commitment to F1 until 2024, they are an appealing prospect. You could see someone trying to lock themselves in there with a three-year contract.
Both of this year's drivers, Denmark's Kevin Magnussen, 23, and Briton Jolyon Palmer, 25, are hoping to be retained. But, at the moment, Palmer's seat is under the most scrutiny. Sainz is an option here, too, as is reserve driver Esteban Ocon.
Finally, the world champions. Nico Rosberg is out of contract at the end of the season but there is next to no chance that he will leave. The team want to keep him and he wants to stay.
Negotiations are ongoing, but there is no real doubt that they will come to an agreement. For a start, Rosberg, 31, does not have any other options that are anywhere near as good. And do you really think Mercedes would let go a driver who has won five races already this season and is leading - and could very well win - the world championship?
If Rosberg wins the title, it is inconceivable Mercedes would want him to go anywhere else. He is a German in a German team, and silky smooth when it comes to being a brand ambassador for Mercedes-Benz, an important aspect for the paymasters.
Three-time champion Lewis Hamilton is not going anywhere either, so retaining the status quo is the ideal scenario from an on-track and off-track point of view.
And as much as Hamilton and Rosberg have had fiery moments, it has been containable.
Allan McNish was talking to BBC Sport's Andrew Benson
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Tens of thousands of Egyptian Coptic Christians have held an overnight vigil in Cairo to mourn the death of their spiritual leader, Pope Shenouda III.

Many wept as they prayed for the pope outside the city's main cathedral.
The vigil was followed by a Sunday morning Mass, with the dead pope's body sat in the papal chair dressed in ceremonial robes.
He died at the age of 88 on Saturday, after reportedly suffering from cancer. He led the Church for four decades.
Coptic Christians make up 10% of Egypt's population of 80 million, making them the Middle East's largest Christian minority.
After attacks on Coptic Christians in recent years, Pope Shenouda had urged officials to do more to address the community's concerns.
A crowd of mourners estimated to be larger than 100,000, spent the night outside St Mark's Cathedral, many weeping as they prayed for the pope.
Thousands queued to see Pope Shenouda, whose body was placed in a coffin before being seated on a ceremonial throne wearing embroidered vestments and a golden mitre, and holding a gold-topped staff.
The government has given Coptic Christians three days off work to prepare for his funeral.
The BBC's Jon Leyne, in Cairo, says there is no timetable yet for the selection of his successor, who will be elected by a conclave of senior bishops.
Tributes have come in from around the world, with Roman Catholic Pope Benedict XVI offering prayers and US President Barack Obama praising Pope Shenouda as an "advocate for tolerance and religious dialogue".
Egypt's military rulers expressed the hope on their Facebook page that his wish of "preserving the unity of Egypt and the unity of its social fabric" would be achieved.
And a senior Muslim cleric, the Grand Imam of the prestigious al-Azhar university, Ahmed al-Tayeb, expressed sorrow and said he "greatly remembers his vision towards Jerusalem and its history".
Pope Shenouda had returned recently to Egypt after seeking treatment abroad.
Our correspondent says he sought to protect his Christian community's position within the Muslim majority by striking a conservative tone and lending tacit support to President Mubarak's rule.
Whoever succeeds him now faces the task of reassuring the Coptic community as the Islamists of the Muslim Brotherhood look on the verge of sharing power in Egypt for the first time, our correspondent says.


A proposed new deputy police and crime commissioner "failed to demonstrate an adequate knowledge and understanding" of the role, councillors said.

Labour councillor Sareda Dirir has been nominated by Cheshire Police and Crime Commissioner David Keane to become his Â£50,000-a-year deputy.
Members of the county's police and crime panel were not impressed by her performance in a confirmation hearing.
But she meets the "minimum standard", the advisory panel concluded.
Mr Keane is due to make a final decision about whether to appoint Ms Dirir next week.
Mr Keane said Ms Dirir was an "outstanding candidate".
In a letter proposing her for the position, he said she "exceeds the criteria set" because of her experience as a councillor, teacher and "freelance policy and communications advisor".
Cheshire's cross-party police and crime panel, which scrutinises the work of the police commissioner's office but cannot veto his decisions, questioned Ms Dirir in February.
She told the panel she was nominated to the post by Mr Keane after a recruitment process involving "one of the most gruelling interviews I've ever gone through".
After the meeting the chair of the panel, Conservative councillor Howard Murray, wrote to Mr Keane to say the panel was "disappointed that on a number of occasions she appeared unable to draw down from what she had learnt from her very varied career, and demonstrate how she would apply her experience".
He went on: "The panel were of the view that Cllr Dirir failed to demonstrate an adequate knowledge and understanding of the operation of the police service and the criminal justice system."
At the meeting, Ms Dirir did not directly answer questions on whether police should be armed, or issued with spit hoods, saying she did not want to make "public proclamations without being fully briefed".
Mr Murray also wrote that Ms Dirir "provided insufficient evidence that she would have the level of personal independence they would expect of a deputy commissioner".
Concerns were raised by the panel about the fact Ms Dirir's parents sit alongside police and crime commissioner David Keane in the Labour group on Warrington Council.
During the hearing, Conservative councillor Andrew Dawson claimed "people may think you only got the job because of the link the police commissioner has with your parents?"
Ms Dirir said that claim was "not respectful or appropriate".
Linda and Allin Dirir represent the same Penketh ward on Warrington Borough Council as Mr Keane, who also remains a Labour councillor.
Mr Keane said it "would not be appropriate" to comment on the claim.
Linda and Allin Dirir have not responded to BBC requests for comment.
Ms Dirir also told the panel she would not promise to step down from her Â£10,404-a-year role as a councillor in Salford, saying: "If appointed I may consider how much time I can dedicate to the role and my role as a councillor.
"I need to talk to my family and the residents of Salford."
Previous Conservative deputy police and crime commissioner Margaret Ollerenshaw was paid Â£22,500 for a three-day week.
Ms Dirir is due to work a five-day week.
The panel said that, "on balance", Ms Dirir meets the minimum standard to fulfil the role, and her "energy and passion will help her succeed".


Convicted drug smugglers Michaella McCollum and Melissa Reid are to be transferred from Peru to jails in the UK, the BBC understands.

McCollum, from Dungannon, County Tyrone, and Reid, from Lenzie, in Scotland, were jailed in 2013.
McCollum's lawyer has received confirmation from the Irish government that the transfer request has been accepted by the Peruvian authorities.
It is thought an agreement in principle has been made to transfer Reid home.
A spokesperson for the Scottish Prison Service said they had completed their part of the process, and were waiting for the Peruvian authorities to action the transfer.
The pair admitted trying to smuggle cocaine worth Â£1.5m from Peru to Spain and were jailed for six years and eight months.
Their transfers could take several months to arrange.
In a statement, McCollum's lawyer Kevin Winters said: "Last week we received confirmation from the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs that the Peruvian authorities had accepted Michaella's prison transfer request and in turn passed this to the UK National Offender Management Service (NOMS).
"It is our understanding that NOMS are due to liaise with the various prison authorities in order to facilitate the next stage of the transfer process.
"We further understand that the relevant authorities in Peru and the UK have put a system in place in order to make sure that the transfer takes place as efficiently as possible.
"At this stage it is not clear as to how long that will take."
McCollum would most likely be transferred to Ash House Women's Prison at Hydebank Wood in south Belfast.
The women were caught with 11kg (24lb) of cocaine in their luggage in August 2013.
They were stopped and searched at Lima's international airport where the cocaine was found hidden inside packages of food.
McCollum and Reid initially claimed they had been kidnapped at gunpoint and forced to carry the drugs, but later admitted the charges.


A new app launches in the UK on Monday aimed at helping pregnant women get seats on public transport.

Babee on Board consists of two companion apps that communicate via Bluetooth.
Once an alert is triggered, people nearby with the app receive a message saying there is someone who needs to sit down.
The app containing the alert button costs Â£3.99, which will be donated to a children's charity.
The developers said they were charging a fee to prevent it being used by pranksters.
"We would rather give it away for free but we need to ensure there's a barrier so people don't download it for free and troll those around them," said Hew Leith, chief executive of 10X, the British innovation consultancy behind the app.
"We are donating 100% of the profits to charity."
The partner app which notifies passengers that somebody requires a seat can be downloaded for free and will activate automatically if a seat request is sent.
The two apps work "like walkie-talkies" said Mr Leith.
They require the handset's bluetooth location services and notifications to be switched on and the app is currently only available for Apple devices.
"We should be using our eyes [instead] but if you look around you, everyone whips out their phone as soon as they sit down," said Mr Leith.
"When we did user testing quite a few women said that early on in pregnancy, when they are not showing, is when they feel most ill and need a seat the most.
"But visibly you can't see the bump and you can't always see the badge because the trains get so busy."
The National Childbirth Trust (NCT) expressed support.
"Anything that helps women with a 'baby on board' to have a more comfortable journey can only be a good thing," said senior policy adviser Elizabeth Duff.
Analyst Marina Koytcheva from CCS Insight said the firm had recognised a business opportunity.
"Travelling on public transport at rush hour is an arduous task at the best of times. When you are pregnant it is even more challenging," she said.
"It is amazing what technology can do today, but it is also hard to tell how many pregnant women will be willing to pay for the convenience of finding a seat."
In 2016 the South Korean city of Busan successfully trialled a scheme of pink buttons, attached to train carriages and activated via Bluetooth badges, to alert commuters to pregnant women requiring seats.
In London pregnant commuters can get a free "Baby On Board" pin badge from the Tube network.


Eleven German MPs of Turkish origin have been put under police protection.

They received death threats after supporting a move to describe the 1915 massacre of Armenians by Ottoman Turks as genocide.
Germany's foreign ministry has warned MPs of Turkish origin against travelling to Turkey, saying their security there could not be guaranteed.
The German parliament's move outraged the Turkish government, which does not recognise the killings as genocide.
Germany's genocide vote inflames tensions with Turkey
The 11 MPs of Turkish origin who voted for the resolution have faced a backlash of negative opinion from the Turkish government and from within Germany's sizable Turkish community.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan castigated them, saying: "What sort of Turks are they?"
Ankara's mayor showed the 11 MPs in a tweet, saying they had "stabbed us in the back". According to German media, it was retweeted by many Turkish nationalists, some of whom made death threats.
And a group of Turkish lawyers has reportedly filed a complaint accusing the MPs of "insulting Turkishness and the Turkish state".
Earlier this month, Turkey recalled its ambassador from Berlin in fury after the German parliament voted overwhelmingly for the Armenian "genocide" resolution.
Turkish nationalists who rallied against the German MPs' vote made the sign of the Grey Wolves, a nationalist group that has murdered leftists and liberals in the past.
The leader of Germany's Green Party, Cem Ozdemir - who initiated the debate on the Armenian massacres in the Bundestag - told a newspaper he had been sent emails saying things like: "We will find you anywhere."
He said well-informed friends in Turkey had told him to take the threats seriously.
Armenians say up to 1.5 million of their people died in the atrocities of 1915, during the Ottoman Empire's collapse in World War One. Turkey says the toll was much lower and rejects the term "genocide".
Find out more about what happened
Armenian tragedy still raw in Turkey


Leaders of Plaid Cymru, the Welsh Liberal Democrats and Welsh Labour have revealed details of what they pay in tax.

The moves come after Prime Minister David Cameron released details of his tax affairs.
Welsh Conservatives leader Andrew RT Davies has vowed to do the same.
Labour's Carwyn Jones said he was comfortable publishing his "boring" tax returns, but UKIP's Nathan Gill said he would not "jump on the bandwagon".
Information about David Cameron's 2009-15 tax and earnings was released on Sunday in an attempt to defuse a row about his investment in his late father's offshore fund, details of which emerged in a leak of documents from Panamanian firm Mossack Fonseca.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne and UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn have now also published their tax returns.
Scottish party leaders, including the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, also published their tax returns over the weekend.
Labour leader Carwyn Jones has published his tax payments for 2014/15 - his party's website says he was charged £41,147 on taxable income of £118,800.
He told BBC Wales: "I'm comfortable publishing my tax returns. They are very boring."
He added: "It's inevitable now that the public will want to see the tax returns of politicians. I think most of them will be fairly mundane."
Leanne Wood became the first Welsh political leader to make her tax details public on Sunday evening.
The self-assessment tax calculation shows she paid £9,043 income tax on taxable income of £38,547.
"It's a shame I've been almost forced into a position of doing this because of the question of what's been going on with the prime minister and the distrust towards politicians from people," she told BBC Radio 4's Westminster Hour.
"It's a shame that politics has come to this but I believe in openness and transparency.
"I think if you're in the public eye, especially if you're the leader of a political party - certainly if you're the prime minister - you have an obligation to be honest with people and explain exactly what your financial situation is."
Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Kirsty Williams published her self-assessment tax calculation on Monday. It shows she paid £15,281 on taxable income of £54,143.
Ms Williams said: "What's we've seen is massive disquiet over the last week and a half about the prime minister's tax affairs, and calls for greater transparency.
"Well if that's good enough for the prime minister those same rules have to apply to all political leaders."
But Nathan Gill of UKIP Wales, who is an MEP, said he was not going to do the same.
He said: "My income is on the record in any case. My sole income is from the European Parliament.
"But I am not jumping on the bandwagon of the Americanisation of British politics to score a cheap point against the prime minister.
"As far as I am concerned I have no desire to see what Carwyn Jones earns."
The Welsh Conservatives said leader Andrew RT Davies will publish his tax returns over the next few days.
Mr Davies said: "The prime minister has laid out his arrangements more transparently than any previous prime minister and shown how this government is leading the way internationally on cracking down on tax avoidance and evasion."


Billy Sharp struck his 25th and 26th goals of the season as League One leaders Sheffield United stormed back to beat Oxford United at the Kassam Stadium and stretch their unbeaten run to seven games.

Trailing 1-0 at half-time, Sharp turned smartly to fire home an equaliser, with the aid of a deflection, from a corner on 55 minutes.
Kieron Freeman then finished beautifully with a calm side-footed shot from 12 yards into the far corner to put Blades in front on 72 minutes.
And five minutes later, Sharp completed his double by blasting home a penalty, straight down the middle, after Freeman was tripped by Marvin Johnson.
It was an impressive comeback by Chris Wilder's team, after his old club Oxford had gone in front in the 22nd minute.
That came when centre-half Chey Dunkley headed home Chris Maguire's powerfully driven corner at the near post while Blades defender Jake Wright was off the pitch with a head injury.
Wright was unable to play on, making it an unhappy return for the 30-year-old who had made more than 270 appearances for the U's.
Toni Martinez made it 3-2 with a low angled drive in stoppage time, but the play-off chasing home team had no time to draw level.
Dunkley was Oxford's most threatening player, and twice went close apart from his goal, as he stabbed Johnson's cross over the bar from six yards, and later fired into the side-netting.
Kane Hemmings passed up a good opportunity in a crowded six-yard box, taking too long over his shot, when the match was evenly poised.
But Sheffield United ultimately showed their class as they extended their lead at the top of the table to eight points.
Match report supplied by the Press Association.
Match ends, Oxford United 2, Sheffield United 3.
Second Half ends, Oxford United 2, Sheffield United 3.
Joe Rothwell (Oxford United) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Caolan Lavery (Sheffield United).
Foul by Liam Sercombe (Oxford United).
Billy Sharp (Sheffield United) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Corner,  Sheffield United. Conceded by Simon Eastwood.
Attempt saved. Billy Sharp (Sheffield United) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top centre of the goal.
Goal!  Oxford United 2, Sheffield United 3. Antonio Martínez (Oxford United) right footed shot from the right side of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Joe Rothwell.
Chris Maguire (Oxford United) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by John Fleck (Sheffield United).
Corner,  Oxford United. Conceded by Chris Basham.
Attempt saved. Liam Sercombe (Oxford United) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Attempt blocked. Cheyenne Dunkley (Oxford United) header from the centre of the box is blocked.
Corner,  Oxford United. Conceded by Chris Basham.
Attempt blocked. Conor McAleny (Oxford United) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Billy Sharp (Sheffield United) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Marvin Johnson (Oxford United) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Billy Sharp (Sheffield United).
Chris Maguire (Oxford United) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by John Fleck (Sheffield United).
Substitution, Oxford United. Antonio Martínez replaces Kane Hemmings.
Substitution, Oxford United. Liam Sercombe replaces Robert Hall.
Curtis Nelson (Oxford United) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Penalty conceded by Curtis Nelson (Oxford United) after a foul in the penalty area.
Goal!  Oxford United 1, Sheffield United 3. Billy Sharp (Sheffield United) converts the penalty with a right footed shot to the top right corner.
Penalty Sheffield United. Kieron Freeman draws a foul in the penalty area.
Attempt missed. Cheyenne Dunkley (Oxford United) left footed shot from a difficult angle on the left is close, but misses to the left.
Paul Coutts (Sheffield United) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Chris Maguire (Oxford United) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Paul Coutts (Sheffield United).
Goal!  Oxford United 1, Sheffield United 2. Kieron Freeman (Sheffield United) right footed shot from the right side of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Billy Sharp.
Attempt blocked. Chris Maguire (Oxford United) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Kane Hemmings (Oxford United) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Ethan Ebanks-Landell (Sheffield United).
Attempt blocked. Joe Rothwell (Oxford United) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Substitution, Oxford United. Joe Rothwell replaces Ryan Ledson.
Foul by Samir Carruthers (Sheffield United).
Robert Hall (Oxford United) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Corner,  Oxford United. Conceded by Paul Coutts.


A man has been killed and a woman injured after their car rolled down a street in Swansea, trapping them underneath.

The pair, believed to be a couple in their 60s, were hit in a lane behind Finsbury Terrace, Brynmill, at around 09:20 GMT on Sunday.
The woman was flown by air ambulance to hospital and was conscious on Sunday afternoon, South Wales Police said.
A neighbour said the man and woman were unloading shopping when it happened.
"I came out my back garden and saw two people trapped under a car," the neighbour said.
"The couple had just come back from shopping when they were run over by their own car.
"It's awful, they were a lovely couple. I didn't know their names but they would always say hi and were very polite."
A blue Peugeot was loaded into a container and removed from the scene on Sunday afternoon.
South Wales Police said the incident was being investigated.
Resident Myra Evans heard emergency services arrive.
"The ambulance, as I looked through the window, was screaming very fast... and then the helicopter was above it and hovered round for about 20 minutes, half an hour."
Ellie Rowley, who also lives nearby, added: "I could hear sirens going and then there were fire engines outside and I could hear a helicopter and it landed in the field."
Insp Jason Herbert, of South Wales Police, said initial reports suggested "a vehicle has rolled down the street trapping a male and female underneath".
A spokeswoman for Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service said two ambulance crews and an officer attended at 09:21 GMT.
"We released two casualties from underneath the vehicle. There was a helimed there and a rapid response vehicle," the spokeswoman added.


The government has named 360 businesses which have failed to pay either the National Minimum Wage (NMW) or the National Living Wage (NLW).

Among them are well-known names like Debenhams, Subway, Lloyds Pharmacy and St Mirren Football Club.
More than 15,500 workers had to be paid back nearly one million pounds.
But that may represent just the tip of the iceberg: The Office for National Statistics has calculated that 362,000 jobs did not pay the NMW in April 2016.
The biggest offenders were employers in hairdressing, hospitality and retail.
One worker at a dental practice in London's Harley Street was refunded nearly £12,000.
The fashion store Debenhams had to re-pay £134,000 to more than 11,000 staff - more than half of its shop workers - after an accounting error left each of them around £11 short in wages.
The company was fined £63,000.
A spokesperson said, "As a responsible employer Debenhams is committed to the National Minimum Wage, and as soon as the error was identified by a routine HMRC audit last year, we reimbursed all those affected."
See the full list of businesses here.
Excuses used by businesses for not paying the full basic wage included using tips to top up their pay, making reductions to pay for a Christmas party, or making staff pay for their own uniforms.
For the first time the list includes firms which failed to pay the National Living Wage, which was introduced on 1 April 2016 for workers over the age of 25.
The current rate is £7.20 an hour. Those under 25 receive the NMW, currently £6.95 for 21 to 24 year-olds, and £5.55 for 18 to 20 year-olds.
'Higher fines'
In total the 360 businesses that broke the law were fined £800,000.
However the TUC  said that was not a big enough deterrent.  It called for higher fines, and more prosecutions.
"This should be a wake-up call for employers who value their reputation. If you cheat your staff out of the minimum wage you will be named and shamed," said the TUC's general secretary, Frances O'Grady.
"But we also need to see prosecutions and higher fines for the most serious offenders, especially those who deliberately flout the law."
The ONS has said that 1.3% of employees are not being paid the minimum, amounting to 178,000 full-time workers, and 184,000 part-time workers.
But the TUC believes that even that number is an under-estimate, as it does not take into account those working in internships, or those who may be wrongly classified as self-employed.


Questions about ambulance response times and medical treatment will be raised at a full inquest into the death of a six-year-old girl who apparently choked on a grape.

Jasmine Lapsley, of Liverpool, died last August while on a family holiday at Morfa Nefyn, Gwynedd.
At a pre-inquest hearing at Caernarfon, coroner Nicola Jones said: "It will be a lengthy and complex inquest."
She promised there would be a full investigation.
She told Jasmine's parents: "Perhaps recommendations will be made for the future, depending on the outcome."
There would doubtless be criticisms "but we don't deal in blame," she added.
Paramedic experts, consultants and leading medical figures will be among the witnesses at the full inquest and there may be a jury.
Jasmine was flown 20 miles to hospital in Bangor by an RAF helicopter and at the time the Welsh Ambulance Trust held an investigation into the ambulance response.


Engineering work will mean rail journey times between Swansea and London will be extended by up to 45 minutes.

Great Western Railway said emergency track repairs on Sunday would hit services to Bristol as well.
Trains from south Wales to London will be diverted between Newport and Swindon and will not stop at Bristol Parkway.
Services between Cardiff and Portsmouth will start and end at Bristol Temple Meads with an hourly shuttle train between Cardiff and Bristol Parkway.
Trains from Newport and Swansea will run about 25-30 minutes earlier, apart from the last service.


A US teenager has been charged with the murder of a classmate after police said he posted a Snapchat photo of himself with the victim's body.

Maxwell Marion Morton, 16, was arrested for killing Ryan Mangan in his home near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The suspect used Snapchat - an app that auto-deletes content after a few seconds - to send an image to a friend.
The friend took a screenshot and his mother contacted police. Prosecutors said the Snapchat was "key evidence".
"[Police] received a copy of the photo which depicted the victim sitting in the chair with a gunshot wound to the face," a police affidavit states, according to The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
"It also depicts a black male taking the 'selfie,' with his face facing the camera and the victim behind the actor. The photo had the name 'Maxwell' across the top."
The boy also received text messages from the suspect saying: "Told you I cleaned up the shells" and "Ryan was not the last one."
Snapchat has become wildly popular among US teenagers and youth, with many attracted by the fact content shared via the app disappears so quickly.
But there are ways to make Snapchat messages permanent - including taking screen captures and using third-party services.
Users are alerted when someone takes a screen capture of a message.
Maxwell Marion Morton confessed to killing Mr Mangan after police found a 9mm handgun hidden in his home, according to The Tribune-Review.
He will be charged and face trial as an adult, police said.


A 61-year-old man who used sweets and toys to lure a six-year-old girl into sexual activity has been jailed for 45 months.

Ian Berridge, of Stonehouse Cottage, Crocketford, was also placed on the sex offenders' register indefinitely.
He admitted sexually assaulting the girl over a 30-month period to May last year.
He also admitted filming another girl in a bathroom and possessing indecent images of children.
Dumfries Sheriff Court heard how the offences came to light when the girl revealed to her brother that Berridge had been touching her.
Solicitor Vicki McMinn told the court there was not much she could say in mitigation but added that he was genuinely remorseful for the effects of his behaviour on the girl and her family.
Sheriff George Jamieson said that the starting point for the sentence would have been five years, but this would be discounted because of the early plea of guilty which saved the young girl the distress of having to give evidence in court.


At Number 3100 Massachusetts Avenue in Washington, high enough up the hill to catch a breeze in this most airless of cities, lies a small corner of a foreign field that in theory is forever England.

For it is here that one finds the British embassy and one of the finest ambassador's residences in the world.
To walk through the marbled grandeur of this, the only building designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens in North America, is to understand how architecture can itself be an act of diplomacy.
And if you stroll through the grounds and inspect the fine collection of orchids, and ignore the car horns and springy tropical grass, you can imagine yourself in a rather grand English garden.
It is here, Donald Trump has said, that many people would like UKIP's interim leader, Nigel Farage, to live and work.
The sheer chutzpah and breach of diplomatic protocol in a future head of state telling the Queen whom she should appoint as her ambassador to the United States has understandably raised hackles across Whitehall.
But before we work ourselves into too much of a lather of indignation, we should be aware that there is a precedent for this.
It is widely understood that President John F Kennedy suggested to Harold Macmillan in 1961 that he might like to appoint the Conservative politician Sir David Ormsby-Gore as Britain's ambassador.
They had met and become friends when JFK's father was ambassador to London.
As The Chicago Tribune reported on 18 December 1967, "[Ormsby-Gore] was among the first persons to be invited to lunch by the president-elect, and their meeting in the Carlyle Hotel in New York City was portentous.
"In fact, Jack Kennedy handpicked his old friend, though the British would never admit it.
"David's position as ambassador was doubtless discussed at the Carlyle lunch. And later when Prime Minister Macmillan brought up Ormsby-Gore's name, Kennedy leapt at the chance to say how pleased he would be by the appointment."
Of course, that appointment was based on personal, family links, not political endorsement.
So close were the families that Kennedy arranged for Ormsby-Gore and his wife and children to be given a place in the presidential nuclear bunker.
But the point stands: the president expressed a preference and the UK government acquiesced, albeit for very good reasons as Ormsby-Gore was a closer adviser to Kennedy than many of his cabinet.
Even in normal times, the White House would have a say over our man in Washington.
The Foreign Office recommends a candidate to the Palace, a name that has been signed off by Number 10.
The Queen agrees, Washington is informed, and the government then seeks formal consent.
So in theory, Mr Trump could veto the appointment.
But it very rarely happens.
And, whisper it quietly, there is occasionally the odd sounding taken.
One former diplomat told me: "Normal procedure is that the government chooses someone as ambassador and then privately proposes the name to the host country, which has to agree.
"It is all done privately.
"And it is very rare for a candidate to be turned down, in my experience."
But all this is a world away from the US actually suggesting a nominee, as Mr Trump has just done.
Much of the reaction I have heard from diplomats is not printable.
"Truly bizarre" is perhaps the least expletive-ridden summary I can give you.
As a class, British diplomats oppose political appointees, because they take top jobs from the professionals.
They did not like James Callaghan appointing his journalist son-in-law, Peter Jay, as ambassador in Washington.
And they tolerated David Cameron sending his chief of staff, Ed Llewellyn, to Paris only because he had a past life as a de facto diplomat in Hong Kong and Bosnia.
But their real concern is that this Twitter diplomacy might endanger UK-US relations.
The government, they say, will have no alternative but to reject the Trump suggestion.
One former senior diplomat said: "A Farage appointment would be completely unacceptable to British cabinet ministers, including the foreign secretary, who would have a vainglorious and uncontrollable political opponent as their envoy to the president."
In many ways, the Trump suggestion makes the current ambassador, Sir Kim Darroch, even safer in his job.
Sir Kim is highly rated but has taken some flak for failing, along with everyone else, to predict the Trump victory.
But if Theresa May chose to replace him - he was of course appointed by her predecessor whom he served as national security adviser - she would face accusations of doing Mr Trump's bidding.
She cannot be seen to capitulate.
The real difficultly, say diplomats, is that it appears to show that the Trump administration thinks that diplomacy is a bit of a laugh, something for a fun Twitter exchange rather than serious business.
Only a day after Downing Street confirmed it was exploring offering a state visit to Mr Trump next year, he responds by pushing the UK into public disagreement.
"My wider and bigger concern is how we are going to manage our diplomacy with US and Europe," one former FCO official said.
"This sort of thing makes it harder."
It certainly makes it harder for either the foreign secretary or the prime minister to organise an early visit to Washington, as is being planned.
The questions that ensue from Mr Trump's Twitter diplomacy matter and are hard to answer.
What must the UK do to bridge the huge divide between it and the new administration?
How much further discourtesy will Theresa May tolerate?
And, perhaps most vexing of all for the government, might it just have to exploit Mr Farage's contacts, however disagreeable that might be?
But let us return to the British residence in Washington that Mr Trump wants Friend Farage to inhabit.
It was built in the 1920s at a time of poor Anglo-US relations, a building designed to show the growing economic power that the British Empire was still a force to be reckoned with.
In November 1928, the Foreign Office's most senior diplomat on America, Robert Craigie, wrote that war between the UK and the US was "not unthinkable".
For all Mr Trump's tweets, relations are not quite that bad - for now.


The final Parkrun has been cancelled at the site near Bristol where a council became the first to request a contribution towards the park's upkeep.

Organisers of the Little Stoke Parkrun said they were given until 28 May to reach an agreement with Stoke Gifford Parish Council or "leave the park".
They have decided to cancel Saturday's free-for-all run "on safety grounds".
Last month councillors voted to charge Parkrun saying it was "unfair" to expect residents to pay for the event.
The decision was met with widespread criticism with Parkrun saying it would search for a new venue as its ethos remained to offer weekly 5k (3.1m) runs at no financial cost to each entrant.
However, on Wednesday Parkrun said it had yet to determine the long term future of the Little Stoke gathering but had to cancel the final scheduled run on the 28th.
"We appreciate that this will be frustrating to our runners and volunteers, but the last thing we want is the strength of feeling to boil over from either parkrunners or local residents," a statement online said.
"We hope to provide you with a further update next week," said the organisation.
The council said its original statement still stood which was that the three-year-old event had led to "increased wear on the park" and Parkrun had refused a request to contribute "a small monetary amount towards the upkeep".


Sinn Fein could apologise for the IRA bombing of Manchester - but only if the British government acknowledges its role in the Northern Ireland conflict.

More than 220 people were hurt in the 1996 attack which devastated the city centre causing Â£700m in damage.
On the 20th anniversary of the bombing, Sinn Fein's Pat Sheehan said all parties must become "accountable" and "that may mean an apology."
The UK government said it would "not be party to any re-write of history."
A spokeswoman added it would "not forget the fact that around 90% of all deaths in the Troubles were caused by terrorists. Legislation will also state there will be no amnesties".
Mr Sheehan, a former IRA hunger striker and now Sinn Fein member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for West Belfast, suggested his party could apologise in the future.
"We need to get into a process where every party and every antagonist becomes accountable for their actions during the conflict," he said.
"That may mean an apology," he added. "But if the British government are playing hardball and the Republicans are seen to be moving forward, it doesn't help the process."
In 2002, the IRA issued an apology to its civilian IRA victims to mark the 30th anniversary of 'Bloody Friday' when nine people were killed and more than 130 injured in Belfast - but it has never given a direct apology for the Manchester bomb.
Reconciliation becomes difficult if "one party moves ahead and other parties don't," Mr Sheehan said.
He said hatred had existed on all sides for many years but the British government had perpetrated injustices that "led to the conflict" and these needed to be dealt with.
"As much as possible, victims should be able to get the justice that they seek," he said but "unfortunately it isn't always going to be possible to get people in front of the courts."
A government spokeswoman said talks would "continue with a view to providing better outcomes for victims and survivors in Northern Ireland and across the UK".
"The Government is also clear that any new legacy legislation would establish investigatory bodies that are fair, equitable, balanced, proportionate and transparent."
Manchester City Council is not marking the anniversary of the bombing because it says the city has "moved on".
No-one has been charged over the blast in which many people were hurt by flying glass and debris but thanks to a police operation the city centre was evacuated.
Greater Manchester Police recently launched another review of the evidence but speaking to North West Tonight, former council leader and Manchester Blackley and Broughton Labour MP Graham Stringer called it a "PR stunt".
"I think the Special Branch, Greater Manchester Police and the government know who did it," he said.
If the decision not to prosecute anyone was taken so as not to jeopardise the Northern Ireland peace process the government should be "open and above board" about it.
GMP's Det Ch Supt Tony Mole said the case has "remained open and been kept under constant review".
He said a team of specialist officers carried out a more detailed review ahead of the 10th anniversary of the incident and in consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service, "concluded at the time there was no realistic possibility of prosecution".
He added: "As the 20th anniversary of the incident approaches, it is now the right time for another assessment of the case in order to identify and explore any possible potential investigative opportunities.
"If new information comes to light it would be considered and I would urge anyone with information relevant to the investigation to get in touch with police."
A group representing victims of the Northern Ireland conflict has criticised the city council's decision not to mark the anniversary saying those who have suffered as a result of IRA terrorism should always be remembered.
Kenny Donaldson, from Innocent Victims United, said: "The city council need to understand, who are they moving on for exactly?
"If the victims wish a space in order to reflect and remember what has happened then surely our own council should be supporting them in that," he said.


Councillors are being advised to give approval in principle to two whisky distilleries near Jedburgh.

Mossburn Distillers want to build the facilities around the former Jedforest Hotel at Camptown.
The first phase of the development between 2017 and 2018 would see a small distillery built to educate visitors in the "craft of making spirit".
A larger-scale distillery, capable of producing millions of bottles per year, would be completed by 2021.
A kitchen and cafe as well as new office buildings are all part of the phase one development, along with bottling and storage facilities.
The second stage would be "significantly bigger and significantly more productive".
It would include cafe and restaurant areas capable of catering for more than 200 people.
Scottish Borders Council planning officials are recommending approval in principle, subject to more than 20 conditions.
It will also need approval from the Scottish government on flooding matters.