SHANGHAI, CHINA - JANUARY 30: UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer visits Yuyuan Garden on January 30, 2026 in Shanghai, China. Keir Starmer undertakes a high-profile diplomatic mission to China and Japan, marking the first visit to Beijing by a British leader since 2018. Accompanied by a delegation of 50 business leaders, Starmer aims to "reset" relations with President Xi Jinping to stimulate UK economic growth through expanded trade and the revival of high-level economic dialogues. Starmer concludes the trip with a brief visit to Tokyo on Saturday. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)

The Prime Minister returns from China a rather diminished figure. His vaunted commitment to human rights and international law rings very false when he kowtows to the regime in Beijing, and even the likely modest economic impact of his visit cannot offset that, says Eliot Wilson

We need to talk about Sir Keir Starmer.

The Prime Minister is having a torrid time of it, with historically low approval ratings and would-be successors circling as they sense blood in the water. He is at best embattled, and, as former Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson said of Rishi Sunak two years ago, “embattled is one away from beleaguered, and once you’re beleaguered, you’re fucked”.

Starmer’s recent visit to Beijing can be seen as part of a desperate attempt to generate growth in the British economy. That is the foundation upon which rests everything else the Labour government wants or needs to do, from improving public services and increasing defence spending to tackling the uncontrollably rocketing welfare bill. Pursuing relations with the People’s Republic of China, however – maximising the economic benefits........

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