Andy Burnham was having dinner at the Commonwealth summit in Antigua when the results of the US midterm elections started rolling in.

UK government officials in the Caribbean with the prime minister scrolled through their phones with growing incredulity as the scale of the Republicans’ defeat became clear.

“We knew it was going to be bad for Trump but it was historic result after historic result: Kansas, South Carolina, Texas,” one said. “We’ve been dealing with this constant anxiety over Trump’s erraticism and what he might do next for years. Finally, there’s a bit of hope.”

As he faced the cameras the following morning, Burnham struggled to disguise his relief that the US president could be restrained.

“I feel the world has an opportunity now to unite around the issue that is affecting us all and that’s the cost of living,” he said.…