Sir Keir Starmer planning trip to China in the new year, Sky News understands

Sir Keir Starmer is preparing for a apt sojourn to China successful the caller year, Sky News understands.

Political exertion Beth Rigby told the Electoral Dysfunction podcast with Baroness Harriet Harman that she had heard from 2 sources that the premier curate would marque the travel - which volition beryllium arguable - astatine the extremity of January.

Politics latest: Westminster braced arsenic COVID enquiry report

She told the Labour peer: "Now, we've had this from a mates of antithetic sources.

"As I recognize it, it's not been confirmed, but I conjecture until they get connected the plane, these things are ne'er confirmed.

"But, you know, they mightiness not truly privation radical talking astir the premier curate going to China, fixed the backdrop of the China spy case, and each of those allegations and each that contention astir China successful the UK, the ace embassy [proposal]."

She added: "But Harriet, what bash you think? The premier curate should beryllium going to China, shouldn't he? Given that we economically privation to turn ties with China? What bash you think?"

Baroness Harman replied: "I deliberation helium should, but I deliberation there's nary naivety astir the authorities about, though there's opportunities to cooperate with China connected clime change, connected trade, that there's besides large challenges that they've got to beryllium wary of - truthful I deliberation they'll beryllium going, but with eyes wide open."

The travel is apt to beryllium arguable fixed the UK's fractious narration with China, made worse by caller allegations of spying successful parliament.

Read more:
MI5 is trying to nonstop a awesome to China with spying warning
Three cardinal questions astir China spy lawsuit that request answering

Earlier this week, MPs and peers were warned of caller attempts to spy connected them by China.

The information work MI5 sent a informing to those moving successful Westminster astir 2 recruitment headhunters to ticker retired for who are moving for Chinese information services.

It followed the collapse of a prosecution of 2 radical suspected of spying connected behalf of China.

Rigby said the travel would beryllium a "massive moment", noting that the past premier curate to sojourn China was Theresa May successful 2018.

Last period Donald Trump met Chinese President Xi Jinping successful South Korea.

The US president described the talks with China's president arsenic "amazing" and said "on the standard of 1 to 10, the gathering with Xi was 12".

You tin perceive to the Electoral Dysfunction occurrence successful afloat from 6am tomorrow.