Who Is Keir Starmer? All About The Labour Leader Poised To Succeed Rishi Sunak As Next UK PM
Starmer has identified the growing political clout of Indian-origin population --the largest immigrant group in UK-- and had sought to win back their support
With Labour party inching towards a historic win in the UK elections, dethroning Rishi Sunak’s Conservative party after 14 years in power, all eyes are trained on Keir Starmer-- the leader of Centre-Left Labour party-- who is likely to be Britain’s next prime minister.
Sixty-one-year old Starmer, who was elected to parliament just nine years ago, is set to be the oldest person to become British prime minister in almost half a century.
The married father-of-two is being seen as the 'most modern politicians', according to a report by news agency AFP, which attributed the claim to Starmer's "long and distinguished career before becoming an MP" and his views which "are rooted in pragmatism rather than ideology."
During his campaign, Starmer repeatedly said "We must return politics to service," and promised to put "country first, party second".
His supporters see Starmer as a dutiful, a bit dull, but a managerial safe pair of hands who will approach life in Downing Street the same way he did his legal career--seriously and forensically.
The Labour Party is hoping that is just what Britain wants and needs after 14 turbulent years of Conservative rule.
Detractors, though, call him an "uninspiring opportunist" who regularly shifts position on issues and who has failed to spell out a clear vision for the country, as per the AFP report.
Starmer has spent four years as opposition leader dragging his social democratic party from the left towards the political middle ground.
Who Is Keir Starmer?
Starmer is a lawyer profession and had served as chief prosecutor for England and Wales between 2008 and 2013. He is often caricatured by opponents as a “lefty London lawyer.”
Born in 1963, Starmer is the son of a toolmaker and a nurse who named him after Keir Hardie, the Labour Party’s first leader. One of four children, he was raised in a cash-strapped household in a small town outside London. He had three siblings, one of whom had learning difficulties.
“There were hard times,” he said in a speech launching his campaign, according to a report by Associated Press.
“I know what out of control inflation feels like, how the rising cost-of-living can make you scared of the postman coming down the path: ‘Will he bring another bill we can’t afford?’ We used to choose the phone bill because when it got cut off, it was always the easiest to do without," he told his voters.
A talented musician, Starmer had violin lessons at school with Norman Cook, the former Housemartins bassist who became DJ Fatboy Slim.
Starmer was reportedly the first member of his family to go to college, studying law at Leeds University and Oxford, and practiced human rights law before being appointed chief prosecutor.
He entered politics in his 50s and was elected to Parliament in 2015. During his political career, he often disagreed with party leader Jeremy Corbyn--a staunch socialist. Starmer, at one point, had quit the party’s top team over disagreements, but agreed to serve as Labour’s Brexit spokesman under Corbyn.
After Corbyn led Labour to election defeats in 2017 and 2019 — the latter the party’s worst result since 1935 — Labour picked Starmer to lead efforts to rebuild.
He was knighted for his role leading the Crown Prosecution Service, and Conservative opponents like to use his title, Sir Keir Starmer, to paint him as elite and out of touch.
Starmer prefers to stress his everyman credentials and humble roots — in implicit contrast to Sunak, who is a former Goldman Sachs banker married to the daughter of a billionaire.
He loves soccer and is a Arsenal fan. He still plays the sport on weekends. He and his wife Victoria, who works in occupational health, have two teenage children, whom they strive to keep out of the public eye.
Starmer's Politics
Starmer leadership has coincided with a turbulent period that saw Britain go through the COVID-19 pandemic, leave the EU, absorb the economic shock of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and endure economic turmoil from Liz Truss’s turbulent 49-day term as prime minister in 2022.
During this period, voters were weary from a cost-of-living crisis, a wave of public sector strikes and political turmoil that saw the Conservative Party dispatch two prime ministers within weeks in 2022 — Boris Johnson and Truss — before installing Sunak to try to steady the ship.
During these turbulent times, Starmer imposed discipline on a party with a well-earned reputation for internal division, ditched some of Corbyn’s more overtly socialist policies and apologized for antisemitism that an internal investigation concluded had been allowed to spread under Corbyn.
Starmer promised “a culture change in the Labour Party.” His mantra is now “country before party," according to the AP report.
Starmer was a strong opponent of Britain’s decision to leave the European Union, though now says a Labour government would not seek to reverse it.
Critics say that shows a lack of political principle. Supporters say it’s pragmatic and respects the fact that British voters have little desire to revisit the divisive Brexit debate.
How Might Starmer Influence India-UK Relations?
Starmer has identified the growing political clout of Indian-origin population --the largest immigrant group in UK-- and had sought to win back the support of British Indian voters who had distanced themselves from Labour in recent years.
Starmer also acknowledged past missteps by his party -- under the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn -- in handling relations with India, especially over its perceived anti-India stance on Kashmir issue by supporting Pakistan.
The Labour’s decision had alienated many British Indian voters in the 2019 UK general elections. Also his party has fielded a number of Indian-origin candidates in the 2024 UK election.
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