Starmer vows China trip will leave Brits richer as Reeves touts business boost from controversial Beijing visit
Sir Keir told ministers the UK had “veered from the golden age to the ice age in its relations with China” in recent years
Sir Keir Starmer has insisted that Brits will be richer and safer after his trip to China, despite criticism over the visit to the repressive superpower.
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The Prime Minister is currently on a trip to China accompanied by around 60 business leaders as he seeks to improve trading relations with the superpower.
In a Cabinet meeting ahead of his departure, Sir Keir told ministers the UK had “veered from the golden age to the ice age in its relations with China” in recent years but said his Government would follow “a strategic and consistent strategy”.
However, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has accused the Prime Minister of “kowtowing to China” by going ahead with the visit.
Theresa May was the last British PM to visit China before her successors struck a considerably more frosty tone about Xi Jinping's government.
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Before flying out, Sir Keir said: “For years, our approach to China has been dogged by inconsistency – blowing hot and cold, from Golden Age to Ice Age. But, like it or not, China matters for the UK.
“As one of the world’s biggest economic players, a strategic and consistent relationship with them is firmly in our national interest. That does not mean turning a blind eye to the challenges they pose – but engaging even where we disagree.
“This is what our allies do, and what I will do: delivering for the public, putting more money in their pockets and keeping them safe through pragmatic, consistent co-operation abroad.”
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has told LBC that she is "confident" Sir Keir Starmer will "come back with a package of measures that helps businesses in Britain" from the trip east.
The PM will land in Beijing this evening as he attempts to continue building bridges with the superpower, after a freeze in Sino-British relations in the final years of the Conservative government.
Ahead of the trip, Ms Reeves told LBC's Natasha Clark that a strong relationship with Beijing would give "big opportunities for British jobs and British businesses".
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"I'm confident that the Prime Minister will come back with a package of measures that helps businesses in Britain and that helps jobs," the Chancellor said.
"We make and produce some brilliant stuff in the UK, and I want to sell it around the world, which is why we've done trade deals with India, Korea, the US. It's why we're improving trade relations with Europe."
The trip follows the approval of a new Chinese embassy in London, and Sir Keir will face pressure from home to raise several difficult subjects with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, including China’s espionage activity.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said he could not comment on reports that China had hacked the phones of senior Downing Street officials under previous governments between 2021 and 2024.
But he said Sir Keir was confident that his phone is not being monitored by the Chinese, and that No 10 has “robust communication security measures in place”.
“We’ll always take the necessary action to detect, disrupt and deter those who seek to do us harm, and that’s why we’ve sanctioned China-based tech firms for global cyber attacks, and why we’re training frontline police officers on spotting hostile state activity,” the spokesman said.