UK Labour leader – and potential next PM – makes mark internationally

THE next UK general election could be more than a year away. However, it is not just an increasing number of UK politicians who anticipate a transfer of power to Labour, after around a decade-and-a-half of Conservative-led Government. There are growing signs that key world leaders are also planning for a new UK administration, headed by Labour leader Keir Starmer.

The latest indication came on Tuesday (Sep 19) with French President Emmanuel Macron hosting Starmer at the Elysee Palace. This builds from a session that the Labour leader had last year with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

Last weekend, Starmer met with other world leaders at a Montreal gathering of left-of-centre and centrist politicians, hosted by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Other leaders included Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and ex-European Commissioner Frans Timmermans, who hopes to become Dutch prime minister this autumn.