Keir Starmer, Britain’s next prime minister, is set to rule the world’s sixth-largest economy, having led his Labour Party to a massive victory in the 2024 UK general election.
But the elusive leader has caught the world’s fancy for not being the typical, run-of-the-mill politician.
In fact, he is often cited as someone who is “boring”, “lacks charisma”, and “doesn’t like politics”.
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What is he doing then, staring down at the keys to 10 Downing Street as his official residence, having ousted the Conservatives after 14 years?
Working class roots
Starmer was born in 1962 in London but grew up in a small village called Oxted in Surrey, southeast England.
He was one of four children of Josephine and Rodney Starmer. His father (Rodney) worked as a toolmaker in a factory, while his mother (Josephine) was a nurse, but kept seriously ill with Still’s disease for much of Starmer’s childhood.
Sharing his earliest life memories in Rosebud, a weekly podcast about interesting people and their first memories, hosted by former British politician Gyles Brandreth, Starmer talked about his family getting the first car amid all the life’s difficult challenges.
“I was 4 years old when we got our first car, a Ford Cortina. I waited for hours at the front door for my dad to come home with this new car. We never had a lot of money, so, getting this car was a really big deal. I remember when we went for a drive, there would be two adults sitting in the front, four of us children in the back, and also our four dogs… all of us being driven around in a bit of a squeeze,” Starmer said.
He also talked about the impact his father’s factory job had on him. “My father was a proud working man. He would have liked to go to University but didn’t have the money. So, he attended a night school to get a toolmaker apprenticeship, and worked long hours on the shop floor. But people judged him for his working-class job and my father felt disrespected.”
This impacted Starmer to care deeply about “respect and dignity of labour” – something he says, has shaped up his political career and decisions significantly.
Political career
Starmer had a successful career as a human-rights lawyer first. He was the first in his family to get a University degree, after having studied at the Reigate Grammar School. His education fees were mostly paid through the local council or as a grant.
He was politically active from an early age. At the age of 16, he joined the youth branch of the local Labour Party, known as the East Surrey Young Socialists.
He was politically active from an early age. At the age of 16, he joined the youth branch of the local Labour Party, known as the East Surrey Young Socialists.
There is an interesting anecdote about Starmer’s first interview as a lawyer.
When asked how he would defend a first-time shoplifter, Starmer’s reply was: “Isn’t all property theft?” says an article published by Telegraph UK.
“Keir interviewed badly. He lacked confidence and dress sense…” says Geoffrey Robertson KC, prominent human rights lawyer and founder of Doughty Street Chambers, who recruited Starmer. “But he turned out to be brilliant,” Robertson told Financial Times in an interview.
Interestingly, Starmer’s first office at Doughty Street Chambers was located next door to the offices of the Spectator magazine, edited at the time by Boris Johnson.
Starmer’s legal career included him becoming the UK’s director of public prosecutions from 2008 to 2013.
In 2014, he received knighthood from the monarchy and got the title “Sir Keir Starmer”.
The same year, he announced that he would seek selection as a parliamentary candidate for the Labour Party.
According to Robertson, Starmer may not have the charisma of previous UK prime ministers Tony Blair or Boris Johnson, but “he has a few qualities associated with that great liberal reformer William Gladstone…” he told Financial Times. “Gladstone won office four times and ruled for 13 years.”
‘Starmerism’
Young Starmer was called a “superboy” by his siblings, because he was good at many things, from studies to music to football.
In 2015, at the age of 52, Starmer was picked as the candidate for Labour Party from the Holborn and St Pancras constituency, which lies in Greater London area. He has lived in the constituency for more than 20 years and still plays football with friends he has known for decades, according to local media reports.
In 2020, he became the leader of the Labour Party, abd is known to have brought the left-leaning party closer to the political centre.
His political working style is often referred to as “Starmerism”, a term coined to refer to Starmer’s political ideology. His supporters have been called Starmerites.
While different opinions exist on what exactly is Starmerism, it is clear that Starmer’s political style stands on three intellectual pillars of ethics, economics, and geopolitics.
According to Starmer’s former director of policy Claire Ainsley, who was quoted in New Statesman, “Keir’s politics are lived politics; they come from his experience, firstly, of his family – many intellectuals deny how important that is.”
Supporters of Starmerism say it is a mix of progressive values with real world pragmatism, while critics argue Starmer is an apolitical shape-shifter.
He has a zero-tolerance policy on anti-semitism and is tough on immigration.
A recent YouGov poll actually found that more people have negative than positive opinions about Starmer on political decisiveness.
However, Starmer’s party manifesto for the 2024 UK election has been titled “Change” – asking voters to end the “Conservative chaos”. It focuses on economic growth, infrastructure, clean energy, healthcare, education, and strengthening workers’ rights.
Starmer has also pledged a new publicly owned energy company, a ‘Green Prosperity Plan’, and reducing patient waiting times in the NHS (National Health Service). He also supports renationalisation of the British railway network.
The Arsenal-supporting football fan is the untraditional politician, generally termed as a quiet but ruthless leader. His solicitor wife, Victoria, works for the NHS, and together they have a teenage son and daughter.
And when not working or playing football, the elusive prime minister is sometimes seen enjoying a pint among locals at north London’s antique pub, The Pineapple.
