For the Republican Party, 2023 will be a crucial year

The issue will be who ends up going against Trump for the party’s presidential nomination, writes Chris Stevenson

For Ron DeSantis, announcing a run after the end of Florida’s legislative session in early May might be beneficial (AP)

The period around Christmas and New Year is always somewhat slow for political news – at least for the UK and the US, with both parliament and congress being out of session.

Not that there isn’t plenty for politicians to be thinking about, from the extreme cold across significant parts of America – expertly covered by our team in the US – to the cost of living crisis the UK is facing.

However, the quieter time has got me thinking about what is to come, a year of political jostling as both nations prepare for significant election events in 2024. In the US, a presidential election. In the UK, a general election (which is due to be held before January 2025). While there has already been talk of tactical voting in the UK, as my colleague Adam Forrest, reports – in the US, attention has focused on Donald Trump.