Germany and France would rather see Barack Obama as the next US president than Hillary Clinton, according to opinion polls published yesterday. Forty three per cent of Germans prefer Mr Obama compared with 39 per cent for Mrs Clinton, according to a Forsa poll.

There is a gender divide, however: German men back Mr Obama (52 per cent compared with 36 per cent for Mrs Clinton) while German women support Mrs Clinton by a margin of 43 per cent to 34 per cent.