The former US ambassador to the UK told Sky News it was unlikely the US election results would be confirmed on Tuesday.

Speaking with Trevor Phillips on Sunday morning, Philip Reeker said it was “an incredibly close race” and “no one can predict it with any certainty”.

“I don’t expect a confirmed result on Tuesday evening,” he said.

“You will remember that in the 2020 election, it took several days for some states to show up and get called in. And there were many legal challenges.”

He added that “it could take several days or a week” before we get a result.

“And then the legal challenges start, both sides have agreed. They will be ready for that.

“Someone said: who wins this election? It’s the lawyers!”

When asked how a second Trump term would be different from his first, he said he would bring “that four-year experience to the White House,” with “lessons maybe learned, maybe not “.

“I think American institutions will persevere. They will get us through what will likely be a tumultuous period of reflection,” he added.

“If you look at history, we’ve been through these things before. But this will be a particularly anxious time.”

Asked if Donald Trump was seriously considering imposing 20% ​​tariffs on all imports, he said: “I think it’s something that people should expect. Economists have expressed great concern about this.”