As it transpired, Keir Starmer claims he wants a “serious and pragmatic” relationship with China.

Keir Starmer has said that he wants a “serious and pragmatic” relationship with China while “being clear about the issues that we do not agree on”. Speaking to broadcasters after his meeting with Chinese president Xi Jinping on Monday, the prime minister said: “I’ve been clear that I want a serious and pragmatic relationship with China. It’s the second biggest economy in the world, it’s one of our biggest trading partners, and therefore we have issues that we clearly need to discuss.”

China’s president, Xi Jinping, has heaped praise on Keir Starmer’s economic policy, as the UK prime minister used their first meeting to raise concerns about sanctions on MPs and the treatment of the pro-democracy campaigner Jimmy Lai. In conversation at the G20 summit in Rio, the first meeting between the UK and China’s leaders in six years, Starmer said he would be keen to host a full bilateral meeting with Xi and the Chinese premier, Li Qiang, in Beijing or London as soon as possible, aimed at turning the page on frosty UK-China relations.

Meanwhile, Starmer has said there is “lots to discuss in our mutual interests as we go forward” as he met Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese at the G20. At the top of a bilateral meeting with the Australian premier, Albanese said that Australia and the UK “are “great friends, on security, on climate policy on our engagement.”

National Farmers’ Union president Tom Bradshaw said planned demonstrations are “definitely going ahead” after he met with Environment Secretary Steve Reed in parliament on Monday evening, PA Media reported. Speaking outside parliament, Mr Bradshaw told the PA news agency: “The planned demonstrations are definitely going ahead. It was a valuable meeting. It was a great opportunity to really spell out in black and white why their evidence is wrong, why it has to come forwards in consultation, and what the extreme human pressure is that this policy has created.

Starmer has said that he understands changes to inheritance tax are “causing concern” for farmers but insisted “the vast majority of farms” will not be affected. Speaking to broadcasters at the G20 summit in Brazil on Monday, the prime minister said he is supporting farmers with money at the budget “alongside money to do with flooding and to do with the outbreak of disease.”

Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary, has said she is likely to vote against the bill to legalise assisted dying, as Keir Starmer issued a veiled warning to cabinet ministers, such as Wes Streeting, to stay neutral on the issue. Starmer, speaking to reporters en route to the G20 summit in Brazil, confirmed for the first time that he would vote on the assisted dying bill later this month, but indicated he would not reveal his position in advance.

Tax rises in the budget have sapped consumer confidence and will lead to sharp reductions in private sector pay growth next year, two separate reports have said. In a blow to Rachel Reeves’s efforts to boost growth, a survey by S&P Global Market Intelligence showed that consumer confidence dropped this month after households said the outlook for the economy had deteriorated and the prospects for their own finances had worsened.

More than one in three children and a quarter of adults are living in poverty in the UK as deprivation levels rise to the highest in the 21st century, according to a landmark report. The study by the Social Metrics Commission (SMC), which uses measures recently adopted by the UK government, found the cost of living crisis had plunged 2 million more people into severe hardship since 2019.

National Farmers’ Union president Tom Bradshaw said planned demonstrations are “definitely going ahead” after he met with Environment Secretary Steve Reed in parliament on Monday evening, PA Media reported.

Speaking outside parliament, Mr Bradshaw told the PA news agency: “The planned demonstrations are definitely going ahead.

“It was a valuable meeting. It was a great opportunity to really spell out in black and white why their evidence is wrong, why it has to come forwards in consultation, and what the extreme human pressure is that this policy has created.

“We have to have these conversations, but we’re really concerned that at the moment, there doesn’t seem to be any action. There doesn’t seem to be any understanding from the Treasury of what they’re doing.”

Bradshaw said he was “debating the data” with the environment secretary during their meeting.

He added: “The whole focus was on this abhorrent policy that’s been put in place. We think it’s a very ill considered policy. I don’t believe that they intended the human consequences that there are within the policy they’ve put forwards.

Shadow transport secretary Gareth Bacon said raising the bus fare cap to £3 was “not an inevitability”.

He said: “The government seems at a loss as to why its policies are so unpopular and why, only a few months into this government, they are so deeply distrusted by the British public. Governing is tough and it requires taking real responsibility and considering the consequences of the decisions before you take them.

“For example, the decision to increase the bus fare cap from £2 to £3. This will cost users more and perversely, will put at risk passenger services on certain routes, because it could counterproductively drive bus ridership down.”

Meanwhile, Keir Starmer has said there is “lots to discuss in our mutual interests as we go forward” as he met Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese at the G20.

At the top of a bilateral meeting with the Australian premier, Albanese said that Australia and the UK “are “great friends, on security, on climate policy on our engagement.”

Starmer replied by saying “we can double down on that”.

Reform to bus services that will allow local authorities to adopt franchising models is “the biggest shake up of the sector for 40 years”, transport secretary Louise Haigh has said.

She told MPs: “We have called time on the way bus funding has historically been allocated. Previously, the government made councils compete for funding, wasting resources and delaying decisions. It was overly complicated, led to inconsistent funding and created uncertainty for authorities and operators.

“We are taking a fundamentally different approach. We have allocated funding based on local need, population, the distance buses travel and levels of deprivation. This puts fairness at the heart of future funding, and ends the postcode Lottery on bus services. It ensures taxpayer money goes to the areas in most need, where it will have the most impact and where passengers will most benefit.

“This is the first stop on our journey to support local areas to take back control of services and deliver better buses across the country. Finally, we will introduce our landmark buses bill in the coming weeks. It is the biggest shake up of the sector for 40 years.

“It will allow councils across the country to adopt franchising models, as in Greater Manchester and London. That means local leaders taking back control of services, ensuring routes, fares and timetables are all geared towards local passenger needs.”