"Even when relations with the host country are tricky, as Britain's are with China, the dignifying protocols of statecraft make a beleaguered politician feel valued. Next comes the phase where missions overseas feel dangerous because plotters can organise more openly against absent leaders. Keir Starmer is in transit between those two zones of decline. His position is not yet imperilled by the row over Andy Burnham's thwarted ambition to run in the Gorton and Denton byelection."
"Starmer justifiably thinks the first visit by a UK prime minister to China since 2018 is a bigger deal than some story about weaponisation of the party rulebook to block a potential challenger. He would be unwise to neglect how much this stuff matters in Labour. He is unusual in having reached the top of the party with little experience of the culture, the lore, the unintended consequences that can spiral out from procedural combat."
Keir Starmer views a trip to China as a significant respite from domestic controversy and a symbolic assertion of status. The China visit distances him from revolt over Andy Burnham's blocked candidacy in the Gorton and Denton byelection. Starmer relied on chief of staff Morgan McSweeney to handle internal machinations while he focused elsewhere. Once in government he showed little interest in day-to-day Labour politics or cultivating relationships with new MPs and ministers. New ministers felt neglected, officials noted a surprising lack of political engagement, and Starmer struggled to engage in idea-driven discussions.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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