Keir Starmer has taken a big step towards rapprochement with China, opening the door to a UK visit from Xi Jinping in a move that drew immediate anger from British critics of Beijing. Lindsay Hoyle, the Commons speaker, said that Xi would be barred from addressing parliament while the sanctions remained in place. It would be wrong to let Xi into their workplace while these sanctions are in place,” he said. Before their talks in the Great Hall of the People, Starmer told Xi he wanted a “broader, deeper and more sophisticated” relationship between the two countries. View image in fullscreen Starmer shakes hands with Xi before their bilateral meeting in Beijing.