Starmer spent around three hours with Xi at a formal summit and a lunch, during which the pair discussed trade and security, the war in Ukraine, and also soccer and Shakespeare.

Sir Keir Starmer is the first British prime minister to travel to Beijing since Theresa May in 2018.

Vow to bring ‘stability and clarity’ to the UK’s approach to Beijing on first visit by a British prime minister in eight years will be sorely tested