Keir Starmer's approach to both domestic and foreign policy is increasingly defined by a pattern of ducking difficult arguments and calling it pragmatism, according to analysis. The prime minister's visit to China this week, the first by a UK leader since 2018, exemplifies this tendency to prioritise engagement over confrontation, even with authoritarian regimes.
At home, Starmer faces a row over Andy Burnham's thwarted bid to run in the Gorton and Denton byelection, with Labour MPs petitioning to reverse a national executive committee ruling. While Starmer views the China visit as a bigger deal, observers warn he neglects internal party politics at his peril. His lack of interest in political culture and ideas has surprised both ministers and officials, who note he treats abstraction as indulgence.
Starmer's foreign policy doctrine, outlined in a December speech, emphasises engagement on every front to maximise British interests, rejecting the notion of trade-offs between security and economic access. He argues that partnership with the US, EU, and China can bring prosperity for all without hard choices. Critics, however, see this as avoiding necessary confrontations over issues like Chinese espionage, Hong Kong repression, or Donald Trump's authoritarian tendencies.
The prime minister did criticise Trump over Greenland threats and Afghanistan remarks, but avoids a broader critique. Similarly, he finds diplomatic formulas that imply rebukes to China without sounding confrontational. This approach, while pragmatic, raises questions about whether it sacrifices principles for expediency.
