Prime Minister Keir Starmer met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing. This was the first time a UK prime minister visited the country since Theresa May in 2018. © Xinhua / Alamy Stock Photo
The Prime Minister led a massive delegation of Government and CEOs to China this week, marking the first trip to the nation by a British PM since Theresa May in 2018. Starmer held talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping for 80 minutes on Thursday, with a Downing Street readout saying they discussed enhancing cooperation in areas of mutual interest while ‘maintaining frank and open dialogue on areas of disagreement.’ There were a series of announcements made on the trip, including: cutting Chinese tariffs on Scotch whisky from 10% to 5%; a border security agreement to tackle the flow of Chinese-made small boat parts; visa-free travel for UK citizens visiting China for up to 30 days for holidays and business; the launch of a ‘feasibility study’ to explore whether to enter negotiations towards a bilateral services agreement; £11bn investment by AstraZeneca in China over the next four years; Octopus Energy entering the Chinese market through a partnership with PCG Power; and a range of agreements to deepen cooperation in areas such as ‘food safety, animal and plant quarantine’, ‘technical and vocational education and training’, and ‘domiciliary services and sports industries’. While a trip to China is viewed by the Government as necessary in a bid to achieve economic growth, it is not without controversy as disagreements over Hong Kong and the imprisonment of British-Hong Kong businessman and politician Jimmy Lai remain strong, as well as allegations of human rights abuses in Xinjiang. Starmer has come away with one tangible improvement, as China has lifted all sanctions that were imposed on six current members of Parliament. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said the visit should not be happening at all, while US President Trump said it was “very dangerous” for the UK to be doing business with China, despite being due to visit himself in just a couple of months’ time. Starmer is continuing his trip to Asia with a visit to Japan for a bilateral summit with Japanese Prime Minister Taikachi.
The week began with a focus on the domestic front for the Prime Minister, after the Labour National Executive Committee voted 8-1 against allowing Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham to stand as the by-election candidate for Labour in the Gorton and Denton by-election, in order to ‘avoid an unnecessary mayoral election’. Burnham said he was ‘disappointed’ but that his ‘full focus’ would remain on being mayor, then going on to criticise the way the news had been announced. With the Green Party and Reform UK harbouring high hopes to add to their collection of MPs in Parliament, both parties have nominated their candidates while Labour are expected to make an announcement over the weekend. In the Green corner is Hannah Spencer, a plumber who leads the Greens on Trafford Council; while in the turquoise corner is Matthew Goodwin, the political commentator and GB News presenter. The by-election is a little under four weeks away, with the Government opting for a short campaign and choosing to hold it on 26 February.
£2.70 – increase in the average monthly water bill from April.
5 – number of years the Warm Homes Discount has been extended, saving eligible families £150 off their energy bills annually.
29 – number of council’s that have postponed elections until 2027.
7.7% – percentage increase in apprenticeships starts in August to October 2025, compared to the previous year.
£30,000 – amount lobby firm Arden Strategies asked companies to spend sponsoring an event, in return for which they would get a picture with Science Secretary Liz Kendall and a ‘VIP dinner’ with advisors to the Prime Minister and Chancellor.
3 – number people in of Liz Truss’ Cabinet who are now Reform UK members (that’s Suella Braverman, Nadhim Zahawi and Jake Berry).
1 – number of people in Liz Truss’ Cabinet who are currently in the Shadow Cabinet (that’s James Cleverley).
12 – number of nights that Harry Styles is playing at Wembley Stadium, breaking the record for the number of shows at the London stadium by one artist in a single year (with previous record holders Coldplay only managing 10).
With the only surprise being how long it took to happen, Suella Braverman defected to Reform UK. In a press conference that was ostensibly on Reform’s support for veterans, she declared her former party was "too weak to save themselves, let alone the country". The Tories hit back with a bizarre statement about her mental health, to which Braverman threatened a lawsuit, despite receiving an apology. We’ve come a long way from Kemi planning Suella’s hen night in 2018…
One to Kemi’s right, one to Kemi’s left. Prosper UK, the latest incarnation of the Tories’ liberal wing and created by former Scottish Conservatives Leader Ruth Davidson and former Mayor of the West Midlands Andy Street, announced itself to the world by calling for the Conservative Party to be ‘fully committed to a practical, centre-right approach’ to defeat both Labour and Reform. Kemi, happily back in her safe place bashing liberals and Tory ‘wets’, dismissed the group, declaring “we are not trying to recreate 2006 and it’s not 2016 anymore.”
Larger police forces and a ‘British FBI’ will be created as the Home Secretary unveiled the police reform white paper. The changes will see the establishment of a National Police Service to oversee counter-terrorism policing, serious organised crime, and fraud; the creation of a smaller number of regional police forces; the introduction of a License to Practice for police officers; the reintroduction of the Home Secretary’s power to fire a Chief Constable; and the “largest-ever” rollout of facial recognition technology to all police forces.
Ground rent for leaseholders will be capped at £250 under proposed measures in the draft Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill. The Government lauded this a huge step forward in the long-running battle over leasehold reform, although it is not quite the outright ban campaigners had called for. The ground rent rate will also change to a ‘peppercorn’ rate after 40 years, forfeiture will be abolished, and (subject to consultation) leasehold will be banned entirely on new build flats.
Pubs and music venues will receive extra business rates relief, getting a 15% cut from April followed by a two-year real-terms freeze, following concerns the planned increase would lead to the collapse of the sector. Alongside this, it was also confirmed that pubs will be allowed to open after midnight for Home Nations’ games in the later stages of the World Cup; and that a High Streets Strategy will be published later this year.
It was also a good week for pet owners as the ‘biggest vet sector reforms in 60 years’ were announced. The proposals will require vets to possess an official operating licence, provider clearer pricing and advertising, disclose whether they’re part of a chain, and provide easier avenues for complaints.
The UK signed a ‘historic’ clean energy security pact with European nations, which will allow it to drive forward offshore wind projects with Germany, Norway, France and Denmark. Under the deal, North Sea countries agreed to deliver 100 GW of offshore wind power through joint clean energy projects.
The WASPI campaigners will definitely not receive any compensation, after the DWP reviewed the case when fresh documents came to light. Secretary of State Pat McFadden stated there had been a “wide-range of public information, including leaflets, education campaigns, information in GP surgeries, and information on TV and radio, in cinemas and online” regarding the change of the state pension age, and that a compensation scheme, which could cost up to £10.3 billion, would “simply not be right or fair.”
The Government hit pause on its Bill to hand the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, which had been due for debate in the Lords at the beginning of the week, after a Conservative amendment was tabled to delay the legislation ‘in light of the changing geopolitical circumstances.’ This comes after Trump labelled the Chagos deal ‘an act of great stupidity,’ despite having backed it last year. Instead, Foreign Minister Stephen Doughty headed to the Commons on Monday to answer a UQ on the Bill, in which he affirmed “it is only right that we take time to consider the next steps on programming, because we remain confident that this treaty is the best way forward.” This was followed by an Opposition debate from the Conservatives on Wednesday on the same topic, in which they continued to demand the deal be scrapped.
Also on Wednesday, the Conservatives held their other Opposition debate on youth unemployment, raising concern over the increasing number of NEETs and the “ballooning” benefits bill. There were also debates on education funding and Holocaust Memorial Day; while in the Lords, the Crime and Policing Bill continued committee stage, as did the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill.
A growing number of graduates are turning to the welfare system, according to a new report from the Centre for Social Justice. Drawing on the Labour Force Survey and DWP data, the analysis finds more than 700,000 graduates are now out of work and claiming benefits, a 46% increase since 2019, including around 240,000 claiming sickness-related support. The report links the trend to the expansion of ‘lower-value degrees’ and underdeveloped vocational pathways, arguing this has left many grads over-qualified for available roles. It calls for a shift towards technical education and higher-level apprenticeships and is backed by figures such as Andy Burnham, Michael Gove, and MPs Munira Wilson and Danny Kruger.
Speaking of Andy Burnham… polling from YouGov offers a glimpse of what might have been had Labour’s NEC not blocked his return to Westminster. Three in ten people believe he would make a better PM than Starmer, rising to 40% among 2024 Labour voters. Only 12% of Britons feel Labour made the right decision, relative to 44% thinking the party made a mistake. A further 43%, however, remain undecided.
As Keir Starmer touches down in Shanghai, another YouGov poll suggests the public remain divided over the UK’s relationship with China. It found that 31% of people view China in friendly (ish) terms, while a slim majority (51%) continue to see the relationship negatively. A quarter of Britons consider China a major threat to the UK, which is, interestingly, now similar to the share of people who say the same of the USA (23%). While 46% think the relationship with China improves access to consumer goods, 40% believe it benefits China more than the UK, with only 6% thinking the UK gets more out of it.
In the latest soft power announcement, members of the PM’s entourage during his China visit were stunned to learn that that Starmer and President Xi share a passion (shockingly, not human rights law) – football! Despite China’s notorious lack of engagement with the sport, Xi shared that he’s a Manchester United supporter, but also takes an interest in Arsenal, Manchester City and Crystal Palace. He apparently event referred to the latter just as “Palace”, reportedly leaving Starmer ‘gobsmacked.’
During PMQs this week, Reform UK’s Lee Anderson rose to ask a question about a report he claimed to have seen on TV, immediately inviting a running commentary from an unnamed backbencher who heckled him a total of six times for not having a TV licence. For context, Anderson has previously confirmed he is one of the 3.6 million people in the UK who proudly live licence-free, despite apparently still keeping up with what’s on the box.
Anderson also tried to get ahead of campaigning in Gorton and Denton, or at least what he thought was Gorton and Denton. This week he shared a photo of himself outside Stanley House Function Rooms, only for it be revealed that the building sits in Angela Rayner’s neighbouring constituency. Rayner was quick to enjoy the moment, suggesting the mistake might have been avoided had the party made the radical decision to consult Google Maps. Moving on from Lee Anderson…
The despatch box is Chris Bryant’s stage. While being grilled by Sarah Onley, Bryant briefly cast his mind back to the years of Liberal Democrat government (when the Tories allowed them to get a word in edgeways). The exercise proved too much; all that escaped him was a sigh and (in what might have been a throwback to his previous career as an ordained priest), a theatrical “oh Lord…”
