UK Ministers Question Starmer’s China Policy Amid Spying Row

Keir Starmer and Xi Jinping meet during the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in November 2024.Photographer: Stefan Rousseau/WPA Pool/Getty Images

Prime Minister Keir Starmer is being urged by senior members of his government to reassess his policy toward China and take a tougher stance on the risks it poses to UK national security in the wake of a collapsed espionage case.

Several cabinet ministers are concerned that Starmer has taken too generous an approach to Beijing and want him to commit clearly to prioritizing national security over any economic benefit from the relationship, according to people familiar with their thinking.