Massive wins and the promise of change – but that’s where the Starmer-Albanese similarities end

Anthony Albanese channelled Paul Keating as he spoke to government MPs in Canberra this week, reflecting on the tough work of reform. Keating, Albanese said, considered Labor to be a bit like a bicycle. “It only stands up when you pedal,” the party grandee once warned, suggesting that without ideas, direction or momentum, the whole show falls over. Less than 24 hours earlier, Albanese had lamented the fate of his friend Keir Starmer , for whom things had truly fallen over. On Monday night, Australian time, the British prime minister confirmed he would resign, less than two years on from a landslide election victory. Starmer – the foreign leader with whom Albanese has most closely aligned himself – was the victim of the “harsh business” of politics , Albanese said, with former Manchester mayor Andy Burnham expected to be living at 10 Downing Street within weeks. Albanese and Starmer had cooperated and collaborated, sharing policy ideas and messaging, even offering themselves up as the vanguard of progressive middle powers prepared to stand up to Donald Trump. Visiting Liverpool last September, Albanese addressed the Labour conference , defending Starmer’s struggling leadership. He reminded nervous party members that leaders needed time to see their ambitions become reality. But Albanese’s position is fundamentally different to Starmer’s, and his political fortunes are likely to be very different too. Albanese is first and foremost a parliamentarian. …