Sir Keir Starmer has been nicknamed “never-here Keir” by his own colleagues as he racks up the air miles while in No10.

The Prime Minister will have spent around one-sixth of his leadership trotting the globe on foreign trips, and has been warned to re-focus his attentions to the UK.

It has been said that ministers have called for Mr Starmer to “get off the plane” as he continues to break records – he is Britain’s most travelled Prime Minister.

Mr Starmer has already visited 44 countries during his 17 months in office.

And they haven’t exactly been particularly close to him, either. Mr Starmer was in Brazil last week and has visited Samoa and Mumbai already.

The Prime Minister’s popularity is currently at its lowest since he became party leader in 2020 and is facing calls to send other ministers such as Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy on some trips instead.

A government source said: “Why is he constantly on a plane? He has a deputy prime minister who was literally foreign secretary and would rather like to carry on doing that. Give it to him. It’s nice to feel important abroad but he needs to stick at home.”

“He should share the load, is the polite way of putting it. He’s got a perfectly good deputy and foreign secretary. It’s just not tangible for the electorate,” another said.

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Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves SCRAP hated income tax raid plans in panic over voter fury

Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves have scrapped their highly contentious plans to raise income tax over fears of voter fury – and amid the prospect of a Labour coup.

With just 12 days remaining until Ms Reeves’s “nightmare before Christmas” Budget, officials have told the Financial Times the Downing Street duo have committed to a major U-turn and returned to the confines of Labour’s manifesto.

It is said the pair “ripped up” proposals to raise the basic and higher rates of income tax specifically over fears of angering MPs and the electorate.

Exactly a week ago, the Chancellor wrote to the Office for Budget Responsibility confirming that hiking the levy would be among the “major measures” announced on November 26.

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