No sooner had Keir Starmer got the keys to No 10 than the new prime minister was out of the country at the Nato summit in Washington. When the prime minister returns from the G20 in Brazil this week, he will have been out of the country for 26 days – five working weeks in just under five months in office.
By the end of the month, Starmer will have taken at least 10 overseas trips, more than any Conservative PM in a similar timeframe. The regularity of the prime minister jetting out of the country has alarmed some in No 10.
Voters are starting to notice it too, according to Luke Tryl, of the polling firm More in Common, who said people in focus groups had started mentioning “Starmer always seems to be abroad”.
So where has the prime minister been travelling to?
Washington DC, 9-11 July
Starmer had been prime minister for just five days when he flew to the US to attend the Nato summit, his first meeting with the US president . Plenty of world leaders, many facing electoral difficulties, were said to be keen to meet Starmer on the sidelines to discuss his tactics.
Berlin, 14 July
Hardly an onerous trip for the new prime minister, the visit to Berlin was to watch England in the final of Euro 2024, though he was not a lucky charm for the team, who lost 2-1 to Spain.
Paris, 27 July
Starmer attended the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics, catching a flight over the Channel after arson attacks on the railways. He met Team GB athletes but held no bilateral meeting with President Emmanuel Macron.
Berlin, 28 July
The prime minister’s first solo bilateral trip with a European leader was to the German capital with the chancellor, Olaf Scholz, a fellow centre-leftist whose political coalition has since collapsed.
The purpose of the visit was ostensibly to announce the beginning of negotiations for a defence pact, similar to that negotiated with France, but Starmer framed it as the start of work to reset relations with Europe after the turmoil of the Brexit years.
Paris, 28 August
Starmer had spent a month back in the UK by the time he departed again for the Paralympics opening ceremony, having spent the intervening weeks dealing with the Southport attack and the ensuing far-right riots. There was more official business this time – a bilateral meeting with Macron and a roundtable with French business leaders.
Dublin, 7 September
Taoiseach Simon Harris hosted Starmer for a flying visit and bilateral meeting. Starmer is said to have been most keen to improve relations with Ireland above any other nation, after difficult divisions during Brexit under the Conservatives.
Washington, 13 September
Starmer flew for his second meeting with the US president, Joe Biden, at the White House for a surprise visit shortly before the Labour conference, an unexpected trip having met Biden already at the Nato summit. The meeting was said to have been prompted by a desire to persuade Biden to allow Ukraine to use western missiles inside Russian territory, though the decision was delayed.
Italy, 16 September
Starmer met Giorgia Meloni on a similar mission to persuade the Italian prime minister to back the use of missiles by Ukraine inside Russia. Starmer said also the UK wanted to learn from Italy how to tackle illegal migration.
New York, 24-27 September
It was very much in the balance whether Starmer would attend the UN general assembly, which clashed with the end of the Labour conference. Initially aides thought he would not attend.
It became clear why it was prioritised – Starmer secured a meeting with Donald Trump in New York for dinner with his foreign secretary, David Lammy, a former harsh critic of Trump. After Trump’s election, the president-elect is said to have reminisced fondly about the dinner.
Brussels, 2 October
Another trip as part of the Europe “reset” – Starmer met the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and promised regular visits.
Berlin, 18 October
Another trip to Berlin – this time for the so-called “quad” meeting of world leaders, including Biden and Macron, who discussed the killing of the Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.
Samoa, 24-26 October
The Commonwealth heads of government meeting involved a 27-hour flight the week before the budget. Some quarters strongly argued that Starmer should not go, with travel time and jet lag being key factors. But it was too politically risky for him to miss the first summit with King Charles.
Budapest, 7 November
The Budapest summit was the meeting of the European Political Community (EPC), one that, again, some critics said Starmer could have decided to miss. But it was an opportunity for Starmer to meet Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Paris, 11 November
Starmer was the first British prime minister since Winston Churchill to attend the French Armistice Day commemorations. But the event was also billed as a “European moment”, which would be symbolic in the wake of Trump’s election victory.
Azerbaijan, 12 November
Starmer attended Cop29 , the UN climate change conference, one of the few high-profile world leaders to do so. He announced an ambitious emissions target of 81% reduction by 2035.
Rio de Janeiro, 18-19 November
The prime minister will jet off yet again for the G20 summit of world leaders, an opportunity to meet those from further afield including potential leaders of India and China. But many of the world leaders he will meet, including Biden, Scholz and Justin Trudeau, are set for imminent departure or defeat.
