This is not the US election result that the Labour Party wanted – but it is the one that it prepared for. Victory for Kamala Harris would have heralded a new phase of transatlantic centre-left cooperation. But the threat of Donald Trump’s political rebirth loomed far larger.
Mindful of this, Keir Starmer and his team sought to insulate themselves from the dangers. Long before becoming prime minister, Starmer remained studiously neutral on the US election and attempted to build bridges with Republicans. This culminated in the two-hour dinner that he held with Trump in New York in September (Starmer and Harris never met) – one deemed by both sides to have gone well.
Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month
Content from our partners
