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Sir Keir Starmer will reportedly jet off for another foreign jolly to China early next year, amid widespread accusations he is a soft touch on Beijing’s security threat. The Prime Minister’s visit would be the first by a British prime minister in seven years, with the Government pushing a number of trade improvements to boost the UK’s struggling economy.

Any visit to Beijing would prove politically controversial amid serious security threats posed to Britain by Xi Jinping. The Government has only recently faced political fury over claims it allowed the trial of two accused Chinese spies in Westminster to collapse. Labour is also eyeing up approving Europe’s first Chinese “mega embassy” in the heart of London. Many critics claim it will be the country’s main spy base on the continent and include basement rooms for the torture of dissidents.

Downing Street refused to deny the reports, first revealed by Sky News.

Speaking on the broadcaster’s podcast, Electoral Dysfunction, political editor Beth Rigby reported: “Now, we’ve had this from a couple of different sources.

“As I understand it, it’s not been confirmed, but I guess until they get on the plane, these things are never confirmed.

“But, you know, they might not really want people talking about the prime minister going to China, given the backdrop of the China spy case, and all of those allegations and all that controversy around China in the UK, the super embassy.”

Asked about the planned visit, former Labour deputy leader Baroness Harman said she believes Sir Keir should go.

She argued: “I think there’s no naivety around the Government.

“Although there’s opportunities to co-operate with China on climate change, on trade, there’s also major challenges that they’ve got to be wary of – so I think they’ll be going, but with eyes wide open.”

The report also comes amid accusations Sir Keir is spending too much time out of the country enjoying luxury foreign travel despite the UK’s myriad of domestic problems.

Last week, number crunchers revealed that by the end of this month, the Prime Minister will have spent one sixth of his premiership on foreign trips and completed six complete laps of the Earth.

He has already visited 44 countries on 37 trips, a total of two and a half months of his total 17 months in office.

Labour ministers have begun labelling him “never here Keir”, with demands for him to “get off the plane” and focus on Britain.

The last prime ministerial visit to China was by Theresa May in 2018.