Nadhim Zahawi refused three times to call out the President’s lies from a White House podium in a toe-curling interview with Sky News – and insisted Britain would welcome whoever ends up in power

A Tory minister has refused three times to condemn Donald Trump’s rambling, evidence-free attack on US democracy.

In a toe-curling interview, Nadhim Zahawi said it was not for him to say whether Trump’s demands – from a White House podium – to stop counting legitimate votes were acceptable.

Major US news networks cut away from Trump’s 17-minute, softly spoken tirade at midnight, pointing out he had made a litany of claims that were entirely unsupported by any evidence.

The President insisted he would “easily win” if only the “legal votes” were counted, claiming mail-in ballots were not legitimate. They are.

He also falsely claimed his lead had been “whittled away in secret” because ‘observers’ had not been given access to voting count centres. They have.

Despite all the sound and fury, there is still no winner in the US Presidential election.