LATIKA M BOURKE: Smug Anthony Albanese global adoration tour after historic 94-seat Federal election win

“94 seats”.

You don’t have to move too far in Labor circles to hear the smug catchphrase repeated on loop.

They are the two words that explain the Prime Minister’s 11-day trip overseas.

Many of Anthony Albanese’s colleagues have long observed that he is a leader who cares more about heading up his movement than actually becoming prime minister.

The Member for Marrickville is the first to admit in private that residency of the Lodge was the last thing he expected.

Let’s be clear, Mr Albanese’s election win this year was deserved. The Opposition under Peter Dutton misfired and was unprepared.

Sussan Ley is making a valiant attempt to keep the fractured remains of the Coalition together, but she is trying to cauterise the battle for the soul of the party that never took place under Dutton, to the Opposition’s peril then and today.

Which leaves Albanese flying high. With an Opposition he does not fear, and a historic majority and mandate from the public, the hubris is creeping back.

The last ten days have been a global extension of this version of Brand Albo.

The Prime Minister spent three days in the UK. He did not visit an AUKUS shipyard or visit a defence manufacturing company that might be making new joint weapons under the non-submarine part of the defence trading pact.

There was so little substance to the visit that Downing Street refused to hold a joint press conference with the Australian leader because there was no announcement to make.

He was invited to Downing Street for a bilateral meeting as well as a drinks reception instead.

Mr Albanese made sure the cameras could see his gift for his friend when he arrived to walk through the street’s famous black door.

“Albo came armed with cans of Albo beer,” Prime Minister Keir Starmer recounted.

Mr Starmer and Mr Albanese shared a stage to talk about how to stop populists, along with other left-wing leaders.

Mr Albanese broke just once, his list of centre-left leaders to meet the Conservative Leader Kemi Badenoch. But what at first glimpse appeared to be a bipartisan effort was shown to be a shot at Nigel Farage, the Reform UK Leader, who Labour regards as its true opposition.

Mr Albanese said he did not want to see parties like Reform succeed and made a point that he would meet with Ms Badenoch and not Mr Farage.

In the end, it was just another partisan act to shore up Labor and Labour interests.

Thumbs up, hands in the air, the Party faithful in Liverpool loved what they saw and heard on stage when Mr Albanese became the only Australian Prime Minister to address the political rally.

Mr Starmer praised his friend as a: “Key partner in standing up to divisive politics.”

It was a political appearance through and through. And even the Prime Minister and his advisers knew it. His neutral civil service staff melted away, such was the concern at the political nature of the event.

The Opposition will target this in Senate Estimates.

Mr Albanese had sought to defend flying his jet from London to Liverpool to speak at the Party conference by saying he would hold meetings with Labour Party ministers, including Defence Secretary John Healey.

The Opposition believes the lack of Prime Minister and Cabinet staff at these meetings exposes this defence as a fig leaf.

Mr Albanese could easily have met with these ministers in Whitehall on Friday or Monday or any day that wasn’t the Labour Party conference.

But he wanted to indulge in the adoration of the global brethren instead.

Albanese won’t care about the criticism that ensues and the inevitable revival of the “Airbus Albo” moniker. This was a trip that a man who has annihilated his opposition takes. For now, he knows he can get away with it.