Sadiq Khan has welcomed the Democrats’ sweeping victory in the US midterm elections, describing the result as a rejection of Donald Trump’s “damaging and divisive politics”.
The London Mayor, who has been engaged in a long-running feud with the US president, was among Labour and Liberal Democrat figures celebrating after the Republicans lost control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Posting on social media, Mr Khan said the Democrats’ campaign had focused on “hope, unity and supporting families with the cost of living”. He called their success a “huge victory” and said it represented “a true rejection” of Mr Trump’s political approach.
Democrats seize both chambers of Congress
The Democrats needed a net gain of four seats to secure a majority in the 100-member Senate and three in the 435-member House.
The result included defeats for Republicans in traditionally conservative states. In Texas, Democratic newcomer James Talarico defeated Trump-backed Republican Ken Paxton, while South Carolina elected a Democratic senator for the first time since 1998.
Kansas also elected a Democrat to the Senate for the first time since 1932. Democrats recorded further victories in Iowa and Ohio, states which Mr Trump won by more than 10 points in the 2024 presidential election.
In Michigan, left-wing Democrat Abdul El-Sayed declared victory over Republican Mike Rogers in one of the most closely watched contests. His election made him the first Muslim elected to the Senate.
Jubilant Democrats described the results as a “blue tsunami” or “Bluenami”, while Labour figures argued that the contests showed voters had rejected Mr Trump’s immigration crackdown and his failure to reduce living costs.
Labour figures hail result
Health minister James Frith, speaking on broadcast programmes, called it “an enormous night for American democracy and for the Democrats”. He said the outcome appeared to represent “a seismic shift in domestic politics for the Americans”.
Mr Frith said the result would not alter the relationship between the UK Government and the White House, describing it as “very strong” and “unwavering and unchanging”.
Several Labour MPs also celebrated the result. Richard Burgon described the midterms as a victory over “racism”, while former Cabinet minister Darren Jones said “hope and love” had defeated “money and division”. Ian Byrne, Peter Prinsley and Neil Coyle were among those who also welcomed the outcome.
The results have been presented by Labour’s Left as evidence that a more progressive approach can succeed and that tougher immigration policies are unpopular.
Trump claims Republicans would have won
Mr Trump responded by insisting the result would have been different had he personally appeared on the ballot.
“I wasn’t on the Ballot and if I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE!” he wrote on Truth Social.
Speaking to Fox News, he acknowledged that he had expected the Republicans to perform better, saying: “I thought they’d do better, we had tremendous rallies.” He also congratulated the Democrats, adding: “They did a good job. They worked very hard.”
However, a photograph posted by Mr Trump of a red baseball cap bearing the word “Veto” suggested he could block legislation passed by the Democrat-led Congress.
The losses leave Mr Trump facing his final two years in the White House with Democrats controlling both chambers. The result is also expected to cast doubt over Vice President JD Vance’s reported ambitions for a 2028 presidential run.
Democrats are expected to pursue investigations into Mr Trump, his allies and his family, while the prospect of a third impeachment has also been raised.
