Here’s what to expect if Hillary Clinton is announced the 45th President of the United States (if Trump wins, weep and ignore this)

As well as having a strong feminist slant and publicly championing LGBT and minority rights, Clinton’s campaign focused heavily on her extensive political experience. Indeed, she was Barack Obama’s secretary of state for four tough years and she knows White House life inside out from her years as First Lady. That makes her more qualified than Obama or husband Bill were when they ran for office. But with the FBI email scandal swirling, Clinton will undoubtedly have to spend her first weeks in office ‘clearing her name’. Here’s how she will run America.

Impact on the UK

Former British Foreign Secretary William Hague got to know Clinton well when she was his opposite number in the Obama administration, and despite having quit politics, has been advising old colleagues on how to handle her.

In the UK, Theresa May’s priority will be to try and show Britain can thrive outside Europe by striking its own deal with the US on trade. “Hillary will want to get some early accomplishments in and one of the easiest is a free trade deal with Britain,” says political blogger Tim Montgomerie. “I think Hillary will be reasonable, and encourage Europe and Britain to do a deal.”

Senior Democrats like to point out American foreign policy was stronger when Clinton left the State Department than when she arrived, and she has vast experience, being integral in several high profile successes, from the killing of Osama Bin Laden to helping secure $21billion in federal aid to help New York after 9/11. Now, she has pledged to defeat ISIS by taking out their strongholds in Iraq and Syria, and to ‘stand up’ to Russian president Vladimir Putin, now moving in on countries, like Syria, where the US no longer wants to get involved. But since nobody wants World War Three (foreign policy in the US has a huge impact on political tensions across the globe), she’ll need to show Putin she means business without escalating things too far.

Working women

American women don’t currently get the right to maternity leave – something Clinton’s vowed to change, introducing a right to three months off after a newborn, plus help with childcare bills and action on the pay gap. She’s also urged employers to consider flexible working policies, like working from home – things she encouraged as a boss in the Department of State. It’s a big part of her offer to younger women, but also signals a change in American office culture.

Women’s right to choose

Clinton is pro-choice, and will defend women’s access to abortion against repeated attempts to undermine it. (Currently, except in cases of rape, incest or danger to life, many states refuse public funding for abortion or don’t allow terminations after 20 weeks.) Under a pro-life president (like Trump would have been) such restrictions could be rolled out nationwide, especially if they put pro-life judges on the Supreme Court, America’s ultimate lawmaking body (in the US, the president has to push all decisions through Congress and the Supreme Court, often with limited success).

Clinton’s stance will meanwhile be a relief not just for American pro-choicers, but to UK abortion clinics, increasingly worried about protests from US-style pro-life groups. More broadly, Clinton has experience in speaking out for women around the world. While leading the State Department she made gender equality a priority of US foreign policy and created an ambassador at large for global women’s issues.

Economy

Clinton says she will raise taxes on millionaires, create jobs and build an economy that works for everyone, using some of the money raised from taxing the top 1% to fund free college education for poorer families. Welcome news to middle-class Americans who feel they were left behind by the super-rich – but right-wing critics say her tax rises threaten economic growth, while left-wing ones think she hasn’t gone far enough. Ultimately, her choice of economic policy advisers will be crucial, with the Democrats’ rising star, senator Elizabeth Warren, said to be pushing for Clinton to pick a radical who’ll stand up to big business.

Immigration

Victory for Clinton would be a crucial milestone for black and Latino Americans, and not just because she’s promising ‘humane’ immigration laws and a rebuilding of trust with the police after the recent shootings of black Americans.

The pool of ethnic minority voters in America is forecast to grow faster than that of white voters, which works in the Democrats favour. If Trump can’t win this time on an anti-immigrant ticket, it is only going to get harder for future Republican candidates to do so. In short, if Clinton wins, the benefits for legal immigrants globally could be felt for years to come.

Who else do we get?

Clinton will now have 10 weeks to pick her administration before taking the reins in January. All eyes will be on what she does with the ‘First Gentleman’. When Bill was president, he controversially asked his wife to handle healthcare reforms, and she’s hinted at returning the favour by getting him to help ‘revitalise’ rundown inner cities. But she’ll want to avoid any suggestion of him being a backseat driver.

Close aide Huma Abedin – the ‘mini-Hillary’ who knows her mind better than anyone – was expected to play a crucial role but may be too damaged by the ‘sexting’ scandal surrounding her estranged husband, ex-congressman Anthony Weiner. Facebook executive Sheryl Sandberg, meanwhile, has denied rumours she’ll take a cabinet job – but Clinton is clearly keen on some high-profile female appointments.

The special relationship: Clinton and May

Oh to be a fly on the wall when Clinton meets May. Who doesn’t want to see two women who for years were patronised and underestimated – and all too often, judged on their clothes, not their ideas – having the last laugh together? That first public handshake will be a powerfully symbolic moment – an inspiration to little girls everywhere – and you can imagine them bonding over their experiences of breaking the glass ceiling. But politically, do they have much in common? Tories traditionally hanker for Republican presidents but many will probably be relieved if it’s Democrat Clinton, seeing her as someone Britain can at least do business with. It won’t be easy, however.

Clinton warned that voting for Brexit would reduce our influence in Washington – since we’d no longer be the obvious bridge between America and the EU – so she may look around for new friends in Europe. If Angela Merkel gets invited to the White House before May, alarm bells will ring in Westminster.

Judgement day: what we can expect from the 45th US president