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

Ousted British prime minister Keir Starmer and the Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese, during the G7 leaders' summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, last year. Photograph: Getty Images

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.