It is the second time in a year that a major ally has had to cancel an official visit because of domestic political pressures – a summit of the Quad countries scheduled for Sydney was scrapped after US President Joe Biden pulled out because of debt ceiling negotiations.

One diplomat, not authorised to speak publicly, said Downing Street was “sheepish” about its decision to scrap the visit, while another said it had been made clear that Starmer’s inner circle believe he needed to focus of his flagging political fortunes at home after a short-lived honeymoon.

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Starmer last week paid back more than £6000 ($11,651) of gifts and hospitality that he received after weeks of revelations about clothing and other donations. He had previously defended his decision to accept about £32,000 of clothing and £20,000 of luxury accommodation from Labour donor Lord Waheed Alli.

A YouGov survey of 2121 adults in Britain released on Tuesday found that only 27 per cent had a positive view of Starmer – his lowest personal rating with the pollster since September 2021. By contrast, 63 per cent had a negative view, the highest score against him to date. It gives the new prime minister, who has painted himself as a non-ideological leader focused on results,a net approval rating of -36.