Keir Starmer

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The Right Honourable

Sir Keir Starmer

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer Official Portrait (cropped).jpg
Official portrait, 2024
58th Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Assumed office
5 July 2024
MonarchCharles III
DeputyAngela Rayner
David Lammy
Preceded byRishi Sunak
Leader of the Opposition
In office
4 April 2020 – 5 July 2024
Monarch
Prime Minister
DeputyAngela Rayner
Preceded byJeremy Corbyn
Succeeded byRishi Sunak
Leader of the Labour Party
Assumed office
4 April 2020
DeputyAngela Rayner
Lucy Powell
Preceded byJeremy Corbyn
Shadow portfolios
Shadow Secretary of State
Shadow Minister
Assumed office
7 May 2015
Preceded byFrank Dobson
Majority11,572 (30.0%)
Director of Public Prosecutions
In office
1 November 2008 – 1 November 2013
Appointed byPatricia Scotland
Preceded byKen Macdonald
Succeeded byAlison Saunders
Personal details
Born
Keir Rodney Starmer

2 September 1962 (aged 63)
London, England
Political partyLabour
Spouse(s)
​
​
(m. 2007)​
Children2
Residence
Education
Occupation
  • Politician
  • barrister
Signature
Websitekeirstarmer.com

Sir Keir Rodney Starmer (born 2 September 1962) is a British politician and barrister who has been the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom since 5 July 2024. He has been the leader of the Labour Party since 2020.[1] He was the Leader of the Opposition from 2020 until 2024. Since 2015, he has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Holborn and St Pancras, a constituency of the UK Parliament in Inner London.

Starmer was the Shadow Brexit Secretary in Jeremy Corbyn's Shadow Cabinet. He was Director of Public Prosecutions and Head of the Crown Prosecution Service from 2008 to 2013.[2]

Early life

Keir Rodney Starmer[3][4][5] was born on 2 September 1962 in Southwark, London.[6] He grew up in the town of Oxted in Surrey.[7][8][9] His parents were Labour Party supporters, and reportedly named him after the party's first parliamentary leader, Keir Hardie.[10]

In his teenage years, Starmer was active in Labour politics; he was a member of the Labour Party Young Socialists at the age of 16.[11]

Starmer received his Bachelor of Laws at the University of Leeds and his Bachelor of Civil Law from St Edmund Hall, Oxford.

Legal career

Starmer became a barrister in 1987. He was a legal officer for the campaign group Liberty until 1990. Starmer was a member of Doughty Street Chambers.

Starmer worked in several Caribbean countries,[12] where he defended convicts sentenced to the death penalty. In 2005, Starmer stated "I got made a Queen’s Counsel, which is odd since I often used to propose the abolition of the monarchy".[13]

Starmer was a human rights adviser to the Northern Ireland Policing Board and the Association of Chief Police Officers, and was also a member of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's death penalty advisory panel from 2002 to 2008.[14]

In July 2008, Starmer became the new head of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and Director of Public Prosecutions. In 2011, he introduced reforms that included the "first test paperless hearing".[15] Starmer stepped down as Director of Public Prosecutions in November 2013.[16][17] He was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in the 2014 New Year Honours for services to law and criminal justice.

Political career

Starmer was selected in December 2014 to be the Labour parliamentary candidate for the Labour UK constituency of Holborn and St Pancras, replacing Frank Dobson.[18] Starmer was elected at the 2015 general election with a majority of 17,048.[19] He was re-elected at the 2017 general election with an increased majority of 30,509, and re-elected again at the 2019 general election. In June 2024, Starmer was re-elected as the Labour candidate for Holborn and St Pancras at the 2024 general election.

He was a backbencher at first and Starmer supported the unsuccessful Britain Stronger in Europe campaign in the 2016 European Union membership referendum.[20] Many people wanted him to replace Ed Miliband as Leader of the Labour Party in 2015, but he decided against running because he thought he did not have the experience for the role.[21][22] During the leadership election, Starmer supported Andy Burnham, who finished second to Jeremy Corbyn.[23]

In Corbyn's shadow government, Starmer was the Shadow Minister for Immigration. In June 2016, Starmer resigned from this role in protest of Corbyn's leadership.[24][25] Following Corbyn's win in the 2016 Labour Party leadership election in September, Starmer accepted a new job under Corbyn as Shadow Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, replacing Emily Thornberry.[26]

Labour leader

In January 2020, Starmer announced his candidacy for Labour Leader in the 2020 election.[27] On 4 April 2020, Starmer was elected as leader of the Labour Party, and as the Labour had the second most number of seats in the House of Commons, this made him the Leader of the Opposition.[28] He was elected as leader of the Labour Party in the first round of voting using the single transferable vote (stv) method of voting. Starmer won with 275,780 votes (56.2%). He got 40,417 (53.13%) of the affiliates vote, 225,135 (56.07%) of the Labour Party members vote, and 10,228 (78.64%) of the registered supporters vote.[29]

Prime Minister

Starmer giving his first speech as prime minister outside 10 Downing Street, July 2024

In July 2024, Starmer led Labour to a landslide victory in the 2024 general election, ending fourteen years of Conservative government with Labour becoming the largest party in the House of Commons.[30] In his victory speech, Starmer thanked party workers for their hard work.[31][32]

As the leader of the majority party in the House of Commons, Starmer was appointed as prime minister by Charles III on 5 July 2024, becoming the first Labour prime minister since Gordon Brown and the first one to win a general election since Tony Blair.[33] Starmer later went on a tour of the four countries of the United Kingdom and met with leaders including John Swinney, Kate Forbes, Michelle O'Neill and Vaughan Gething.[34] He also met with mayors including Andy Burnham and Sadiq Khan.[35]

Starmer began picking his cabinet ministers after he became prime minister. His cabinet has had many female political representation, appointing women to a record half of the Cabinet (including Rachel Reeves as the first female Chancellor of the Exchequer in British history) and three of the five top positions in the British government, including Angela Rayner as his Deputy Prime Minister.[36][37] His cabinet has the most female ministers in the country's history.[38]

Starmer has supported Israel in its war against Hamas, but has also called for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, having been against a ceasefire at first.[39][40]

In May 2025, Keir Starmer defended before the House of Commons the agreement to return the Chagos Archipelago to Mauritius, located in the British Indian Ocean Territory, which notably houses a British and American military base.[41]

Personal life

Starmer is an atheist,[42] but has said that he "does believe in faith", and its power to bring people together.[source?]

Keir Starmer Media

References

  1. ↑ Starmer Is U.K.’s New Prime Minister. New York Times (5 July 2024).
  2. ↑ Bates, Stephen (31 July 2008). Viner, Katharine. ed. "Profile: Keir Starmer QC". The Guardian (London). https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/aug/01/humanrights.law. Retrieved 15 May 2019. 
  3. ↑ Belize. Belize government gazette (1997). Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  4. ↑ Tsjeng, Zing. Keir Starmer Shares His Vision For Britain – And Lets Vogue In On The Person Behind The Policies (in en-GB). British Vogue (2024-02-09). Retrieved 2024-07-07.
  5. ↑ Elecciones en Reino Unido | Keir Starmer: la poco común historia del abogado de derechos humanos que recuperó el poder para el laborismo en Reino Unido tras 14 años en la oposición (in es). BBC News Mundo (2024-07-04). Retrieved 2024-07-07.
  6. ↑ Who is Keir Starmer? The grammar school ‘superboy’ who became Labour’s next PM. 6 July 2024. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2024/07/06/rise-keir-starmer-superboy-labour-leader/. Retrieved 7 July 2024. 
  7. ↑ Moss, Stephen (9 April 2016). "Labour's Keir Starmer: 'If we don't capture the ambitions of a generation, it doesn't matter who is leading the party'". The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/law/2016/apr/09/labours-keir-starmer-if-we-dont-capture-the-ambitions-of-a-generation-it-doesnt-matter-who-is-leading-the-party. Retrieved 4 April 2020. 
  8. ↑ "Sir Keir Starmer: 'My mum's health battles have inspired me'". Ham & High. 27 March 2015. https://www.hamhigh.co.uk/seasonal/election/sir-keir-starmer-my-mum-s-health-battles-have-inspired-me-1-4011167. Retrieved 4 April 2020. 
  9. ↑ Maguire, Patrick (31 March 2020). "Keir Starmer: The sensible radical". New Statesman. https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk/2020/03/keir-starmer-sensible-radical. 
  10. ↑ Moss, Stephen (21 September 2009). "Keir Starmer: 'I wouldn't characterise myself as a bleeding heart liberal . . .'". The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/global/2009/sep/21/keir-starmer-director-public-prosecutions. 
  11. ↑ Who is Keir Starmer?. BuzzFeed. 12 February 2020. https://www.buzzfeed.com/emilyashton/keir-starmer-profile. Retrieved 4 April 2020. 
  12. ↑ Middle Temple. Middle Temple. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
  13. ↑ Starmer embraces the Monarchy. Camden New Journal. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  14. ↑ About Keir Starmer – MP for Holborn and St Pancras and Labour Leader (in en-GB). Keir Starmer. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
  15. ↑ Bowcott, Owen (2 December 2011). Lawyers with laptops log on in cost-saving measure. https://www.theguardian.com/law/2011/dec/02/lawyers-with-laptops-crown-prosecution-service. Retrieved 2 July 2020. 
  16. ↑ Branagh, Ellen (23 July 2013). "Stephen Lawrence barrister Alison Saunders to take over from Keir Starmer as new Director of Public Prosecutions". The Independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/stephen-lawrence-barrister-alison-saunders-to-take-over-from-keir-starmer-as-new-director-of-public-prosecutions-8728313.html. Retrieved 23 July 2013. 
  17. ↑ Saunders to replace Starmer at DPP. 23 July 2013. http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverpool-news/uk-world-news/2013/07/23/saunders-to-replace-starmer-at-dpp-99623-33644921/. Retrieved 23 July 2013. 
  18. ↑ "Keir Starmer to stand for Labour in Holborn and St Pancras". The Guardian. 13 December 2014. https://www.theguardian.com/law/2014/dec/13/keir-starmer-stand-labour-mp-holborn-st-pancras. Retrieved 12 December 2016. 
  19. ↑ Holborn & St. Pancras Parliamentary Constituency. BBC News. 8 May 2015. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/constituencies/E14000750. Retrieved 20 June 2018. 
  20. ↑ How did Keir Starmer vote on Brexit? – Birmingham Live. www.birminghammail.co.uk (29 September 2021). Retrieved 15 June 2024.
  21. ↑ Weaver, Matthew. Labour activists urge Keir Starmer to stand for party leadership. The Guardian (15 May 2015). Retrieved 17 May 2015.
  22. ↑ Davies, Caroline. Keir Starmer rules himself out of Labour leadership contest. The Guardian (17 May 2015). Retrieved 17 May 2015.
  23. ↑ Wilkinson, Michael (13 September 2015). "Splits emerge as Jeremy Corbyn finalises Labour's shadow cabinet". The Telegraph. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/Jeremy_Corbyn/11861535/jeremy-corbyn-picks-labour-shadow-cabinet-live.html. Retrieved 27 September 2015. 
  24. ↑ Keir Starmer resigns as shadow home office minister. ITV News (27 June 2016). Retrieved 14 July 2019.
  25. ↑ MPs vote no confidence in Jeremy Corbyn after shadow cabinet revolt: As it happened (28 June 2016). Retrieved 4 April 2020.
  26. ↑ Jeremy Corbyn has appointed Sir Keir Starmer as Shadow Brexit Secretary and the Tories should be worried. politicalbetting.com (6 October 2016). Retrieved 7 December 2016.
  27. ↑ (in en-GB) Labour leadership: Sir Keir Starmer enters race. BBC News. 4 January 2020. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-50995782. Retrieved 4 January 2020. 
  28. ↑ "Keir Starmer Elected as new Labour leader". BBC News. 4 April 2020. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-52164589. Retrieved 4 April 2020. 
  29. ↑ Leadership and Deputy Leadership election 2020 - Results. The Labour Party (2023). Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  30. ↑ Brown, Faye (5 July 2024). "'Change begins now', Starmer says - as Labour win historic landslide". Sky News. https://news.sky.com/story/the-labour-party-has-won-this-general-election-sunak-concedes-defeat-13162921. Retrieved 5 July 2024. 
  31. ↑ "UK Gets Its Future Back": Labour's Keir Starmer In Victory Speech. NDTV.com. Retrieved 2024-07-05.
  32. ↑ Staff, Pa Political. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer’s victory speech in full (in en). Evening Standard (2024-07-05). Retrieved 2024-07-07.
  33. ↑ Mason, Rowena (5 July 2024). "Keir Starmer promises 'stability and moderation' in first speech as PM". The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/jul/05/keir-starmer-first-speech-prime-minister-pm-labour-downing-street. Retrieved 2024-07-05. 
  34. ↑ Keir Starmer and John Swinney vow to work together despite 'differences'. BBC News. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  35. ↑ Starmer and Rayner meet local leaders for devolution talks (in en-GB). BBC News (2024-07-08). Retrieved 2024-07-09.
  36. ↑ Who is in Keir Starmer's new cabinet. BBC News (5 July 2024). Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  37. ↑ Adam, Karla; Taylor, Adam; Timsit, Annabelle (5 July 2024). Who is in Keir Starmer's new U.K. government?. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/07/05/starmer-uk-government-ministers/. Retrieved 5 July 2024. 
  38. ↑ Keir Starmer’s cabinet will have most female ministers in historyThe Guardian. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  39. ↑ Francis, Sam (18 February 2024). Sir Keir Starmer calls for Gaza 'ceasefire that lasts'. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-68331322. Retrieved 18 February 2024. 
  40. ↑ Walker, James (8 July 2024). "Keir Starmer on Gaza: A timeline of the new Prime Minister's position". The National. https://www.thenational.scot/news/24438311.keir-starmer-gaza-timeline-new-prime-ministers-position/. Retrieved 9 July 2024. 
  41. ↑ Starmer defends Chagos deal as Badenoch criticises multibillion ‘surrender tax’Independant. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
  42. ↑ Williams, Rhiannon. Keir Starmer: I may not believe in god, but I do believe in faith (in en). inews.co.uk (11 April 2021). Retrieved 23 January 2023.

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