Trump’s return to the White House could be a headache for Sunak – and a nightmare for Starmer

A win for The Donald could massively impact the way the Tory and Labour leaders conduct their own campaigns, warns Andrew Grice, now that the dreaded election overlap has come to pass...

For Labour, a Trump victory is a nightmare it desperately hopes to avoid (AP)

An unprecedented number of elections around the world in 2024 – more than 60 are expected – is causing jitters among diplomats in the West. I’m told there were discussions inside the Aukus defence pact between the UK, US and Australia about ensuring their looming elections do not overlap.

The fear among officials was that uncertain outcomes (such as a contested US result or a hung parliament in the UK) could create a disastrous vacuum of leadership in the West and leave Vladimir Putin the main winner. And that’s before the possible impact on the Middle East and China.

Similarly, ministers admit privately the Cabinet Office advised Rishi Sunak to ensure the UK contest would not clash with an American one set in stone for 5 November. As well as the risk of uncertainty during a global crisis, there are fears hostile countries like Russia will try to influence elections through cyberwars.