After finding his diplomatic feet in New York chalking up a series of political wins on a Trump meeting, Palestinian Statehood, climate policy and leading a groundswell of support for a kids social media ban, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is facing the wrath of the Opposition over his movements in the United Kingdom.
At the centre of the brouhaha, is Albanese's decision to travel from London to Liverpool to address the Labour Party conference.
That’s the political event put on by the sister political party to the prime minister's own, and Albanese is taking the stage as a special guest to deliver a speech pumping up the beleaguered UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and promoting the values of progressive political parties.
Opposition spokesperson for foreign affairs Michaelia Cash has demanded to know the cost to the taxpayer of the visit.
“Mr Albanese wants to turn this into a little trip where he basically now goes to ‘functions’ that are of a domestic political nature, and are directly related to the Labor Party, well he needs to be upfront with that and the cost to the Australian people.”
“You are there as the head of our country, not as the head of the Australian Labor Party, so why don’t you try behaving like the head of our country as opposed to turning this into a domestic political exercise.”
Cash pointed to criticism Albanese previously levelled at former prime minister Scott Morrison when he appeared at a Trump rally at an Ohio paper mill in 2019.
“He criticised Scott Morrison for doing a similar thing with the Republicans. Well guess what, you don’t get to say one thing when you’re in opposition and then just blow off the questions when you’re in government.
Albanese addressed the concerns about taking part in a party-political event in an interview with SBS World News.
“We have a relationship with the United Kingdom, the United Kingdom has a free trade agreement with Australia, that's really important, it’s about Australian jobs and our economic benefits that we receive,” he said.
“The AUKUS arrangements mean that we need to engage with the UK government and being introduced accepting the invitation of the Prime Minister Starmer, to meet not just with him, but with all of his ministers, including the defence minister, the home affairs minister, and others is important, it’s part of my job.”
Albanese did meet with the UK Opposition leader Kemi Badenoch in London but steered clear of Reform UK Leader Nigel Farage, who is currently leading the polls to become Britain’s next prime minister.
If Farage and Reform UK solidify the polling surge here, on an anti-migration platform, the value of prioritising this Liverpool Labour event will be subject to deeper scrutiny.
Albanese had tweeted in 2021 that the Trump rally appearance put Morrison’s own “political interests above bipartisanship”.
Words the Opposition wants to see haunt him now.
