Starmer is in Berlin tonight for a dinner with E3 leaders. He is on track to reach potential a milestone – 25 foreign visits in 2025…
Last year the PM only took 16 foreign trips – though that was since July. Starmer is now infamous among Labour MPs and the public for his inability to stay in the UK for any substantial period of time – he is heading to the G20 this month too…
Sky News’ Sam Coates suggested this morning that Starmer has “six foreign trips at the back end of this year.” Including Berlin that would bring his grand total to 25 in twelve months, and one per week for the rest of the year. #25in25…
Tom Baldwin, author of Starmer’s hagiography, spoke to Times Radio:
Tom Baldwin: “I think he’d like to do something. He’s very dutiful and driven by service. That’s why he came into politics. I think that’s characterised his time as prime minister. He hasn’t always sought popularity or been good at being popular. But I think he has some of the necessary qualities that we actually do want in a prime minister. That resilience, that relentlessness, that ability to carry the weight and the job really does weigh very heavily on people and he carries that weight very, very well.”
Jo Coburn: “NATO Secretary-General?”
Tom Baldwin: “I think that’s something that he would be interested in. I think it probably requires Andy Burnham’s government to support him in that and these are some of the questions which Andy Burnham has to resolve quite quickly.”