Donald Trump suffered a heavy defeat in the US midterm elections, a result that could leave the UK poorer and less safe, according to Whitehall Editor Jonathan Walker.
Although the president's name was not on the ballot, heavy losses for the Republican Party and gains for the Democrats are seen as a verdict on his presidency. With the Democrats now controlling both the Senate and the House of Representatives, his power has been reduced, at least in theory.
What the Democrat win means
Opponents in Congress can now block White House legislation, potentially preventing the president from carrying out some of his more extreme proposals. However, Trump can veto laws proposed by Democrat opponents and remains able to issue executive orders, allowing him to make decisions in his role as president.
Walker argues that Trump will push his executive powers to their limit, stretching the US Constitution as far as it will go to ensure he gets his way. The danger for the UK is that he will be so angry and determined to prove he is still in charge that his final years in the White House, with presidential elections due in November 2028, could be even more erratic than what has been seen so far.
Risks of more conflict
That increases the risk of more wars. Trump presents himself as a peacemaker who ends conflict across the globe, but he started a violent conflict with Iran that he has no idea how to end. This has pushed up energy prices globally, meaning higher household fuel bills in Britain and increased prices for basic items such as food.
He also launched a military strike on Venezuela, which turned out successfully from his perspective but may embolden him to try further interventions in South America. Trump is also desperate to end the war between Ukraine and Russia, but appears unable or unwilling to put pressure on Russian president Vladimir Putin. His idea of stopping the fighting involves pressuring Ukraine to surrender, something the UK is desperate to prevent because the Government believes it would only encourage Putin to look for a new target.
Trade and NATO concerns
Trump wants to show the American public that his policy of imposing tariffs on imports from countries such as the UK has been a success, and has not just pushed up prices at home. This could mean doubling down on the policy, hitting British exporters further.
He also wants to expand US territory and has suggested Canada and Greenland should join the US. Trump has managed to obtain a new deal giving the US a bigger role in defending Greenland, though it is debatable whether this marks a real change from the deal that existed before he became president. His sabre-rattling damaged relations between the US and NATO allies, including Canada and Denmark, which owns Greenland.
With the rest of NATO increasingly concerned about the threat from Russia, the last thing the UK wants is for the White House to further undermine the alliance. Trump is unpredictable at the best of times, and it is unknown whether his election humiliation will cause him to calm down or act up further. But he is not one to go down without a fight, and his idea of fighting involves making the rest of the world, not least America's so-called allies such as the UK, poorer and less safe.
