Trump’s defence secretary resigns amid reports of Syria and Afghanistan troop pull-out

President Trump has threatened a US government shutdown, warning it would “last a very long time”, as he poured scorn on the Democrats for failing to support funding for a wall along the Mexican border, which he described as “like the wheel, there is nothing better”.

But more significant is the loss of his defence secretary General Mattis, the latest high-profile figure to quit the Trump White House, and a surprise move to pull US troops out of Afghanistan.