But he also said the closer ties would enable Britain to engage in “frank dialogue” when there was disagreement. “We can deliver a result that can withstand the test of history,” Xi told Starmer, flanked by his top ministers, at their summit at the Great Hall of the People. Starmer gifted Xi a ball from a recent match between Manchester United, the Chinese president’s favoured team, and the British premier’s team Arsenal. “I made the promise 18 months ago, when we were elected into government, that I would make Britain face outwards again,” Starmer told Xi at the summit talks. British security services say China routinely spies on the government.