A portrait of the Labour leader

UK: who is Keir Starmer, the self-made man who brings Labour back to power after 14 years

Starmer has a history as a 'self-made man': born in London in 1962 and raised in a village on the outskirts of the capital, he was the first in his family to go to university. Civil rights lawyer, then entry into politics

4 July 2024Aggiornato il 5 luglio 2024, ore 8.20

Il leader laburista Keir Starmer con la moglie Victoria

3' min read

The Labour party won Thursday's election in Britain and Sir Keir Starmer will be formally appointed prime minister, the first for Labour since Gordon Brown in 2007-2010. "I have changed the Labour party and, if I have the privilege of being elected, I will also change the country," the opposition leader promised.

Starmer has a 'self-made man' story that the Americans would love, but as a good, reserved Englishman, he has not exploited it enough. Born in London in 1962 and raised in a village on the outskirts of the capital, he was the first in his family to go to university.

At home there were four children and little money - the father was a factory worker and the mother, a nurse in a public hospital, had to stop working because she was ill with acute inflammatory arthritis that paralysed her.

Political passion

At home, however, there was a passion for politics: his parents chose the name Keir in homage to Keir Hardie, the founder and first leader of the Labour Party in the early 20th century. Starmer took out a party membership card at a very young age.

Very good at school, he then decided to study law at the University of Leeds and continued his studies with a Master's degree at Oxford. He combined university life with political engagement, founding and running a magazine called 'Socialist Alternatives' which, he later joked, sold 'an average of five copies'.

Human Rights Lawyer

In 1987, he began his career as a lawyer, specialising in the defence of human rights, and has handled numerous important cases. He freely defended two activists sued for libel by McDonald's because they had criticised the fast-food giant's methods. He sided with the Miners' Union to prevent mine closures imposed by the ruling Conservatives. He defended prisoners sentenced to death in African countries and the Caribbean.

Appointment as Baronet

His success as a lawyer led him to be appointed Attorney General in 2008 and in 2014 he was elevated to Sir, or Baronet, the highest honour bestowed by Queen Elizabeth II.

Regno Unito, il leader laburista Keir Starmer vota a Londra

The entry into politics

He then decided to enter politics, standing in the 2015 election and was elected MP in the London constituency of Holborn & StPancras, where he lives. A strong pro-European, he came out in favour of remaining in the EU in the 2016 referendum. Appointed head of Brexit for the party by the then leader, Jeremy Corbyn, he campaigned for a second referendum.

The centrist turn after Corbyn

In April 2020, when he was elected party leader after Corbyn's resignation following his defeat at the polls in 2019, Starmer promised to change Labour, bringing it back towards the centre and transforming it from a protest movement to an 'electable' party.

And so he did: he marginalised left-wing extremists, including his former boss Corbyn, and imposed strict discipline. 'Sometimes you have to be brutal to be a good leader,' he explained. His aim was to win back the votes of millions of Labour voters, especially in the poorer regions of Northern England, who had chosen the Conservatives in 2019 because of Brexit.

His strategy proved effective in restoring credibility to the party and gaining support from the business community that would never have chosen Corbyn. However, he alienated the left wing of the party that accused him of making too many compromises.

Prudence on Brexit

Starmer, for example, has changed his tune on Brexit, stating that the referendum result must be respected and that, while he seeks a closer and calmer relationship with the EU, he does not intend to rejoin the customs union or the single market.

He has promised to invest in collapsing public services, but to win votes he has promised not to raise income taxes, corporate taxes, social security contributions or VAT. He has been accused of overcautiousness, but if he wins with a strong majority, as the polls indicate, he will be able to claim that he made the right choice.

Starmer does not like to talk about his family, but said that one of the reasons he entered politics was to restore dignity and promote a sense of respect for working people, as his father had always felt marginalised and unimportant because he was an uneducated worker.

Arsenal fan

Married to Victoria, an NHS nurse, he has two children whom he has kept out of the spotlight. Besides politics, his great passion is football, both as a player and as a fan - his team is Arsenal and he does not miss a match.