New Yorkers love the Evening Standard

More pictures: Boris Johnson hands out the Evening Standard in New York

The reception was universally positive. Marie Bryan, who commutes to Manhattan from Guilford, Connecticut, said: "It's great to see all the things that are on in London in the paper.

"I've been on vacation there before but I'll certainly be back again."

Toni Fioretti, in the city on a trip from Chicago said: "I've never been to London but your mayor seems great."

New Yorkers took time out to sit in plastic chairs in the middle of Times Square and read the Evening Standard. Mr Johnson declared his stay in New York, which included a New York Fashion Week reception at Asprey and a visit backstage to Billy Elliot to celebrate British success on Broadway, had been a success.

He unveiled new measures to strengthen ties between London and New York after talks with the American city's mayor, Michael Bloomberg.

Mr Johnson and Mr Bloomberg said London and New York have signed a two-year agreement in which the cities will provide each other with outdoor advertising space and collaborate on publicity campaigns.

Mr Johnson said: "We did a deal on tourism and it's very important to bang the drum for London at a time when tourism from America is down 21 per cent.

"We raised the profile of London and stressed to North American business that we remain a very vibrant economy."

Asked for the highlights of his stay, Mr Johnson said: "There have been many fine moments. I will treasure the argument I had with one of the actresses in Billy Elliot [Hadyn Gwynne] over the accuracy of its representation of 1980s Britain."

Mr Johnson was keen to stress the industrious nature of his trip: "While the visit was great fun, one of the things about this kind of job is that people think it's a great big junket. You have to work very hard on these trips."

More pictures: Boris Johnson hands out the Evening Standard in New York