Who is Keir Starmer? Meet the man poised to become British PM
Source: X
As millions of Britons head to the polls in the coming hours, all the forecasts suggest they are likely to select a new government – and, therefore, a new prime minister.
Polls open in Britain for the general election at 4pm (AEST) on Thursday.
By the time they close at 7am (AEST) on Friday, Starmer’s Labour Party is expected to have romped home.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called an early election in May, ending mounting speculation as his Conservative Party trailed Labour in opinion polls.
The outlook for the Tories does not appear to have improved with six weeks of campaigning.
Polls show Labour is on track to win a whopping majority of parliamentary seats in the House of Commons.
That would put Starmer in the top job and Labour back in government for the first time in 14 years.
Background
Starmer, 61, grew up in Surrey with three siblings. His mother was a nurse and his father a toolmaker.
His mother suffered from Still’s disease, a rare type of inflammatory arthritis that left her unable to walk, talk, or eat for the last 10 years of her life.
She died in 2015, just weeks before Starmer was elected as an MP. His father died three years later.
Both parents were reportedly Labour supporters and Starmer shares his first name with the party’s first leader, James Keir Hardie.
Starmer began his career as a barrister, becoming chief prosecutor for England and Wales between 2008 and 2013.
He was knighted by then-Prince Charles for services to law and criminal justice in 2014, meaning he is titled “Sir”, although he rarely uses the title.
The same year, Starmer’s political career began when he was selected to stand for Labour in Holborn and St Pancras, traditionally a safe seat for the party.
He was elected as an MP in the 2015 general election, and held roles such as shadow minister for immigration and shadow Brexit secretary before becoming party leader in April 2020.
Starmer’s wife, Victoria, is a former lawyer who works in occupational health for Britain’s National Health Service.
The couple has two teenage children.
Controversy erupted earlier this week when Starmer declared he would continue to make time to spend with his 16-year-old son, 13-year-old daughter and wife Victoria (who is Jewish) on a Friday night.
“We’ve had a strategy in place and we’ll try to keep to it, which is to carve out really protected time for the kids. So on a Friday – I’ve been doing this for years – I will not do a work-related thing after six o’clock, pretty well come what may,” Starmer told media.
“There are a few exceptions, but that’s what we do.”
Tories declared that meant Starmer would be a “part-time prime minister”.
That prompted Labour to hit back that Sunak was the only one to knock off early – a reference to his infamous early departure from D-Day celebrations early in the election campaign.
Source: X/Alex Armstrong
Political goals
Starmer is a self-described socialist – a progressive, left-leaning departure from the right-wing Conservatives who have led Britain for the past decade and a bit.
He has said his understanding of the importance of economic stability stems as far back as his parents having to choose between not paying their telephone bills and going into debt.
“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?’,” he said in a speech at the beginning of this year’s election campaign.
He plans to expand Britain’s economy through measures such as relaxing planning laws to encourage building and productivity and raising investment through a national wealth fund.
This will direct public investment towards high-growth areas such as ports and green technologies.
Brexit remains a controversial issue in Britain.
Starmer opposed the country’s exit from the European Union – but he says a Labour government would not mean a return to the central block or even freedom of movement. Instead, he would fight for a better deal than the “botched” one negotiated by the Tories.
His wife’s occupation and his experience with his mother, who was cared for by the NHS, may be good news for the beleaguered public health service suffering from underfunding and workforce shortages.
As of April, there were 6.3 million people on the NHS waiting list.
Starmer has pledged to open up 40,000 NHS appointments a week to clear waiting lists.
Experts say that target will be difficult to achieve.
Labour’s other key election promises include:
- Setting up a publicly owned green energy company within its first 100 days in power
- Scrapping Sunak’s controversial plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda and installing a border security command instead
- Recruiting 6500 teachers
- Cracking down on antisocial behaviour.
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