Comprehensive Scoring Analysis

The last British prime minister to visit China was Theresa May in 2018.

Before the visit, she and her team were advised to get dressed under the covers because of the risk of hidden cameras h…

Keir Starmer, in Beijing this week, was more sanguine about his privacy, even though the security risks have, if anythi…

China has been accused of spying on parliament, has sanctioned British MPs and peers, engaged in severe cyber-attacks, …

“I can confirm that I didn’t,” Starmer replied to whether he had taken refuge while getting dressed.

“I’ve always said that we need to seize the opportunities, mindful of our national security.

” The prime minister’s instincts are indicative of his broader approach to balancing the risks on this trip – one of th…

After years of what Starmer has described as the “ice age” in relations between the UK and China, it was intended to be…

But for all the potential offered by closer ties with the world’s second-biggest economy for a country desperate for gr…

While officials stress there was no political involvement, the UK’s decision to green-light the new Chinese mega-embass…

After that, Starmer was given the full works: ceremonial welcome, military march-past, lavish banquet, praise from his …

The prime minister appeared to be getting into the spirit.

When Xi’s business secretary greeted him with a deep bow, Starmer looked quizzically at Peter Kyle, his British counter…

Kyle managed a polite nod.

While there were some tangible gains from the trip – a visa waiver, cuts to whisky tariffs, investment in China by Brit…

One British official described them as “jam tomorrow” deals.

But the Chinese state is such a bureaucratic monolith that unless the man at the top is signed up, British businesses w…

So while some back home may have asked “was that it?”, in No 10’s view what mattered was the turning up – and a “more s…

1:24 Starmer says progress made on tariffs and visa-free travel in Beijing talks – video “This trip is just the start,”…

But a more sophisticated relationship means not just cosying up to China for the sake of our domestic economy – and end…

Before the trip, the prime minister promised he would raise “issues that need to be raised” – including the fate of pro…

He did raise them, but whether that will have any effect has yet to be seen.

There was one clear breakthrough: China lifted its sanctions on six serving British parliamentarians.

While Starmer will be leaving China for the next leg of his trip on Saturday, he will feel that it is job done.

Of course, deepening bilateral relations does not happen in a vacuum, as Donald Trump reminded the UK with his usual bl…

Starmer’s attempts were “very dangerous”, he warned.

It is the US president’s unreliability, however, that encourages “middle powers” such as Britain, France and Canada to …

China spies an opportunity.

But the biggest challenge for the prime minister waits back at home.

While he is at his most comfortable – and some say most effective – on the international stage, it is not lost on his t…

While leadership speculation has abated while he has been out of the country, it has not gone away.

When he returns to Westminster on Monday, his many political and policy problems await him.

He has had a confidence boost in China, and is more intent than ever to keep calm and carry on.

But he may not get long to do so.

On Wednesday afternoon, as the British Airways plane carrying Starmer and his delegation began its descent into Beijing…

It was the prime minister.

“Sit back, enjoy the rest of the flight – I’ll be bringing the plane in from here,” he joked.

It remains unclear whether he’ll be able to deliver a safe landing at home