Trump supporters surround Arizona count centre

Joe Biden is within touching distance of victory over Donald Trump in the US election, having flipped the key states of Michigan and Wisconsin and retained a lead in Arizona – for the time being.

A number of Mr Trump’s supporters have begun protesting outside the vote count facility in Phoenix, some of them armed. In Detroit, they demanded the count be stopped.

The incumbent has launched legal action in an attempt to prevent the counting of legitimate votes in battleground states including Pennsylvania, and declared on Twitter that he “hereby claims” victory – despite trailing in the Electoral College vote by 214 to 264. A candidate needs 270 to secure the White House.

Mr Biden, the former vice president, said he believed he was “on path” to take the Oval Office, though both campaigns are gearing up for legal action in a tight race. Mr Trump intends to call for a recount in Wisconsin, where his opponent’s margin of victory was less than 1 per cent.