In the United States, the President has the sole authority to order a nuclear strike. It's worth looking at the American protocols before comparing them to the UK to see what buttons Prime Minister May would push. However, it's unlikely that in Kim's nuclear weapons system that this is the case, although, as we know so little about the Hermit Kingdom, it can't be ruled out.Ī more likely scenario is a strict chain of command series of orders and actions akin to that in the American system which culminates not in a button being pushed, but keys turned. In his evil lair, Dr Evil hovers a finger over the button and on a whim, presses it, unleashing death and mayhem of one sort or another. This image has been conjured up recently by the threat and counter-threats of Kim and President Trump and the size of their respective buttons.

It's very tempting to think that North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un has a big red button on his desk akin to that of Dr Evil in the Austin Powers films.

Article by Tim Marshall, bestselling author of Prisoners of Geography and former foreign and diplomatic editor of Sky News

Trump press the red button