Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has hailed the UK-Australia relationship as he vowed to “defend democracy itself” alongside “my mate”, the British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
The two leaders embraced on stage in Liverpool, northern England, at the UK Labour Party conference, where rumours have been swirling about a leadership challenge to Mr Starmer.
It comes as the prime minister ends a mammoth overseas trip, which took in an address to the United Nations in New York, and a meeting with the King at Balmoral Castle in England.
Both leaders appeared together to underline their commitment to the AUKUS defence pact, before Mr Albanese used a speech to rail against what he called “the low politics of fear and resentment” on the rise in the UK and elsewhere.
Perhaps his most striking remarks, however, were directed towards what he described as an erosion of trust in politics and the rise of extremist movements in the UK and elsewhere.
“We all know this is a time when trust in governments and institutions is under challenge,” he said.
“We all sense this is an era when our capacity for peaceful disagreement is being tested.”
Anthony Albanese and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer appeared together on stage. (Reuters: Phil Noble)
He said he shared a “determination” with the UK leader and an “absolute resolve to stand together and defend democracy itself”.
“Tearing things down is easy but it doesn’t leave you with anything. The low politics of fear and resentment are easy but they only divide the country, they don’t advance it,” he said.
‘We must stand up for secure jobs and fair wages’
The prime minister’s itinerary included a meeting with the UK Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, but did not afford time to Nigel Farage, the right-wing populist leader of Reform UK, which for months has led all UK parties in the polls, amid anger over cost of living pressures and illegal immigration.
Mr Albanese, who is due to meet US President Donald Trump next month used the speech to underline historic bonds Australian Labor has shared with its UK sister party as he touched on public services, the emergence of artificial intelligence, job creation and climate change.
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“Clement Attlee and Ben Chifley and their Labor governments worked to build societies worthy of those who’d fought to defend the world from fascism and tyranny,” he said.
“By opening the doors of opportunity through education. By creating secure, well-paid jobs in manufacturing. By treating housing as not only the need, but the right, of every citizen. By making medicine affordable for all, through Australia’s world-leading Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. And with the launch of that great pioneering endeavour in universal healthcare, the National Health Service.”
He went on: “In an era where artificial intelligence is transforming our economies, we must stand up for secure jobs and fair wages.
“We must show our citizens that what Harold Wilson called ‘the white heat of technology’ can forge new opportunities for working people, at a time when young people feel the housing market is beyond their reach.”
Britain’s Reform UK party, led by Nigel Farage, is surging in the polls. (Reuters: Phil Noble)
The prime minister, the only foreign leader to speak at the gathering, received a warm welcome among the UK Labour Party faithful in Liverpool as he was affectionately introduced by Mr Starmer as “a real inspiration” and “a true friend of Britain”.
He said the PM had “come armed” for their talks at Downing Street with a pack of “Albo beers”, adding: “I am delighted because our two nations don’t just share history and values, a monarch and even a language but Albo and I are actively working together to make our world more secure and to improve the lives of people in our countries, from our AUKUS partnership to the Australian soldiers who are standing shoulder-to-shoulder with British troops training Ukrainians for the frontline.”
Starmer’s leadership faces test
With the headlines in the UK dominated by speculation that Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, may be preparing to challenge Mr Starmer’s leadership, Mr Albanese also sought to rally thousands of UK Labour delegates behind their leader.
Despite having won the 2024 general election by a landslide, the party has plummeted in the polls in recent months.
Albanese meets with King Charles at Balmoral
“None of us who joined the labour movement, whether Australia or here in the UK do so in search of an easy life and and no one comes to a Labour conference expecting a quiet weekend,” he said, claiming “commentators sometimes fixate” on internal rows.
He went on to stress that all party leaders face adversity: “We know every generation encountered resistance. We know every generation had to overcome sceptics and cynics.
“We know, and every Labour generation understood, that to fulfil their purpose, achieve their goals, give life to their values and keep faith with the people and movement they serve, they have to be in government. Government is where you get things done.”
The speech ends a UK visit in which the PM and his partner, Jodie Hayden, attended a private audience with King Charles at Scotland’s historic Balmoral Castle.
The couple received a military greeting and bagpipes and used the meeting to present the monarch with a photo of the King’s visit to Canberra’s Parliament House in October 2024.
Mr Albanese also held talks with Mr Starmer at 10 Downing Street on Friday.
He also joined a panel of centre left leaders, including Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Icelandic Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir, at the Global Progress Action Summit in central London.
