For the UK, an American presidential election is hugely important – the US-UK “special relationship” is at the heart of UK foreign and defence policy. For Prime Minister Keir Starmer and David Lammy, the foreign secretary, the outcome of this knife-edge election will make a huge difference to their political outlooks.
The conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine, and the differing policy positions (and temperaments) of the two main presidential candidates, make foreign policy-making very difficult. So what do Starmer and Lammy want from the next president?
The first answer is they want the same thing as most people – for this election to be over. The run-up to any election usually means the scope for active or decisive policymaking is closed down. No incumbent wants to make a decision which is immediately counteracted by their successor. Tradition dictates that tricky and divisive policy decisions are left to await the new leader.
