The US federal government is set for its first shutdown in almost seven years after a last-minute attempt at a compromise failed.

Hundreds of thousands of government workers deemed not essential for protecting people or property could be furloughed or laid off when the shutdown - which looks all but inevitable - begins at midnight (5am UK time).

It comes after rival Democrat and Republicans refused to budge in their stand-off over healthcare spending.

A Democrat-led proposal to keep the government funded went down by 53 votes to 47 in the Senate, before the Republicans' one notched up 55 in favour - five short of the threshold needed to avert a shutdown.

The last shutdown was in Donald Trump's first term, from December 2018 to January 2019, when he demanded money for his US-Mexico bord

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