Chris Mason: The US elections will change Trump – how will Burnham react?

Americans are electing members of Congress, which is made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate. All 435 House seats are up for election. In the Senate, only 35 of 100 seats are being contested because senators serve six-year terms.

This results tracker shows both the races being decided now and the 65 seats that are not up for election this year - 34 held by Democrats and 31 by Republicans. The first public words from the prime minister after the American midterm elections were instantly revealing about contemporary international politics and diplomacy. It is not an observation British leaders have frequently had to make about recent American presidents – that they are not disputing the result of elections in their own country.

But what would previously have been taken for granted no longer can be. Burnham remains in the foothills of establishing a relationship with the president – so far it has amounted to a handful of phone calls and one face-to-face meeting at the United Nations in New York in September.