Democrats took control of both houses of Congress, according to US media projections. In Britain, opposition leaders and Labour MPs celebrated, while the government said its relationship with Donald Trump would not change.
Politicians in Britain and around the world have reacted to the Democrats winning control of both the Senate and the House of Representatives in the US midterm elections, a result that could reshape the final two years of Donald Trump’s presidency.
Democrats made gains in swing seats and in Republican strongholds such as Texas and Kansas, according to US media projections. In Texas, James Talarico won a Senate seat, telling supporters: “We defeated Goliath.”
In Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed held a Democratic Senate seat and is set to become the first Muslim member of the Senate.
Trump was not on the ballot, but he had put himself at the centre of the Republican campaign.
The UK government stressed that it would keep working closely with the Trump administration.
“It looks like an enormous night for American democracy and for the Democrats, and we will see where the final numbers end up,” health minister James Frith said in a radio interview. “It looks like a seismic shift in domestic politics for the Americans.”
Asked how Andy Burnham’s government would now work with Trump, Frith said it would “maintain its excellent relationship”.
“The mainstay of the relationship with the UK Government, as its closest ally, is unwavering and unchanging,” he said.
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said he wanted to “applaud the American people for rejecting the hate, division and economic harm of Donald Trump”.
“For anyone who believes in decency, respect and the rule of law, it feels good to see the American people so comprehensively reject Donald Trump’s politics of hate, division and economic harm,” he said.
London mayor Sadiq Khan, who has clashed repeatedly with Trump, posted on X: “Congratulations to Democrats on a huge victory last night. With a focus on hope, unity and supporting families with the cost of living, their campaign was a true rejection of the damaging and divisive politics of Donald Trump.”
Labour MPs welcomed the result. Nadia Whittome said progressive Democrats had “secured historic victories across America” by campaigning on affordability and equality. Darren Jones said the results from “our sister party” showed that “hope and love trumps money and division”.
Former Green MP Caroline Lucas called it “wonderful news”. “Trump had urged voters to pretend he was on the ballot. I think they just did,” she said.
Much of the reaction on the left focused on El-Sayed. Jeremy Corbyn, now an MP for Your Party, congratulated him on “a stunning victory in Michigan”, while Labour MP Naz Shah said voters had chosen “hope over fear”.
Green Party leader Zack Polanski said the results were “victories for communities standing up to billionaires & the media empires they own”. The Labour campaign group Momentum said the left “must keep organising to defeat the far right”.
Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez said Americans had voted “against policies that only serve to impoverish people”, adding: “It happened in Brazil. It has just happened in the US. And it will happen soon in Spain.”
Norway’s prime minister, Jonas Gahr Støre, called the result “a powerful political signal about a change of course among American voters”.
Bernd Lange, who chairs the European Parliament‘s trade committee, called it a “crushing blow to Trump” but warned: “Weakened Trump could become more aggressive and unpredictable. A lame duck could quickly turn into an angry duck.”
Czech prime minister Andrej Babiš predicted “impeachment and vetoes, and a certain kind of paralysis” for the rest of Trump’s term. French finance minister Roland Lescure said the president now had to decide whether to respond to concerns over petrol prices.
Leaders on Europe’s right linked the result to the war with Iran. Jordan Bardella, president of France’s National Rally, said US intervention in Iran carried “very heavy consequences” for living costs. Alice Weidel, co-leader of Germany’s AfD, said Trump’s “broken promise” not to pursue an interventionist foreign policy had “come back to haunt the Republicans”.
Italy’s deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini said the vote had been shaped “above all by the wars, international tensions and the increase in the cost of living”.
The Kremlin called the result “an internal American matter”. “President Trump remains in office. We sincerely hope that he will continue his peacemaking efforts,” spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
Deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov said Russia’s line on Ukraine “does not depend on the fluctuations of the political barometer in other countries”.
Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, wrote on X: “Americans said NO TO WAR, and we endorse this message.” He warned that if the US government ignored that message, “it will learn our NO comes with a Nightmare”.
Japan’s chief cabinet secretary, Minoru Kihara, said that “regardless of the outcome of this election, the Japan-US alliance is the cornerstone of Japan’s foreign and security policy”. Taiwan’s foreign ministry said its policy towards the US had always been non-partisan.
South African president Cyril Ramaphosa said the result would “introduce a new era in world relations”, while Greece said its relations with Washington would “remain strong”.
In the US, former president Barack Obama said voters had “sent a clear message: they want a politics that brings people together rather than divides them”.
“While this administration has another two years in office, our job now is to roll up our sleeves, make changes wherever we have the power to do so, prevent further damage, and lay the groundwork for the future,” he wrote on X.
SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk joked on X: “Guess my election-interfering space lasers didn’t work this time.”