Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese received a rousing reception during his address to the British Labour Party’s Renew Britain conference.
The most riotous applause came when Albanese spoke of his role in pushing a two-state solution between Israelis and Palestinians in the Middle East.
Before an audience including former Australian Labor Prime Minister Julia Gillard, Albanese referred to his UK counterpart, Keir Starmer, as a “mate” and a “friend” on numerous occasions.
“In our mighty global movement you never walk alone,” he said.
Albanese listed off a number of projects he and Starmer championed together, including climate change, continuing the AUKUS deal, and “working together to break the cycle of violence in the Middle East and build something better by recognising the state of Palestine as a step towards a two-state solution.”
Albanese, who in opposition was critical of former Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s association with U.S. President Donald Trump, said his party had a history of defending the world from “fascism and tyranny.”
The Australian leader commended the string of Labor election wins over the generations in both Australia and the UK, but said they were not easily won.
“In the pages of the history books, and the benefit of hindsight, all that seems like a natural progression, but we know different,” he said.
“We know every generation encountered resistance, we know every generation had to overcome sceptics and cynics and we know that every Labor generation understood that to fulfill their purpose, achieve their goals, give life to their values and keep faith with the movement and people they serve they had to be in government.
“The Labor mission has never been a theoretical exercise or just a rhetorical one.”
Albanese said Labor was determined to “defend democracy itself,” in a “time when capacity for peaceful disagreement is being tested.”
UK Labour Faces Challenge from Surging Reform Party
UK Labour is facing major challenges in the polls, with surveys showing Brits are increasingly shifting their vote away from both the long-running Labour and Conservative parties.YouGov polling from September showed the new Reform UK party led Labour’s 21 percent with 29 percent of the vote.
The party is led by Nigel Farage, a major campaigner for Brexit, and promotes strong conservative-leaning positions compared to the British Conservatives, like migration restrictions.
Conservative support now sits about 16 percent.
Albanese Tries to Offer Hope
Meanwhile, Albanese tried to reinvigorate UK Labour delegates saying his party won a second term on the back of offering people housing solutions, highlighting that the Australian economy had been “turning a corner,” and promoting its tax cuts, and higher wages plans.“In 2025 our values and purpose and effort are needed more than ever before,” he said.
Albanese praised his counterpart repeatedly.
“What I see here in UK Labour under this man, this leader, this prime minister, my friend, is the same determination that I know lives in every member of the Australian Labor Party,” he said.
Starmer’s Praise
Prime Minister Starmer in turn praised Albanese’s address.“Our two nations don’t just share history and values, a monarch and even our 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,” he said.
“From our AUKUS partnership, to the Australian soldiers who are standing shoulder to shoulder with British troops training Ukrainians for the front line, from our free trade deal and our investment in each other’s countries, creating wealth, jobs and opportunity and boosting our economies.”
Albanese and Starmer had come from Canada’s Global Progress Action Summit, which was also attended by Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada and Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir of Iceland.
He also met with both the Icelandic and Spanish leaders.
The leader is now expected to return to Australia, with a brief stop in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to discuss the Australia-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan.
Australian Opposition Criticism
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley accused Albanese of “swanning around on the taxpayer dollar at Labor political conferences hanging out with his left-wing mates,” while Liberal Senator Michaelia Cash questioned the cost to taxpayers.“If 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, he needs to be up front with that and the cost to the Australian people,” she told Sky News Australia.
