Who is Keir Starmer?

Who is Keir Starmer?

Short Bio

• Keir Starmer was born in Southwark, London, in 1962. His parents were Josephine, a nurse, and Rodney, a toolmaker; Josephine had to quit her job due to a rare autoimmune disorder called Still's disease. Keir was the sole sibling among the four Starmer children to succeed in the 11-plus exam.
• Starmer’s parents were advocates for the Labour Party and named him in honour of the party's inaugural parliamentary leader, Keir Hardie.
• Starmer was elected to the House of Commons as the Member for Holborn and St Pancras in 2015 as a member of the Labour Party. Starmer was re-elected in 2017 and 2019. Starmer studied law at the University of Oxford and the University of Leeds.
• Prior to entering Parliament, Starmer worked as a barrister specialising in criminal law. In 2008, Starmer was appointed the Director of Public Prosecutions. Starmer married Victoria Alexander in 2007 and the couple have one son. She was previously a solicitor and now works in NHS occupational health.

Party Voting History

• Keir Starmer is a member of the Labour Party. His political position has been difficult to determine over the years, and he has shifted from being a member of the “soft left” of the party to more centre-ground. His ideology has been hailed as “Starmerism”, a form of centre left ideology embracing modern supply-side economics.
• Starmer backed Owen Smith in the 2016 Labour Party leadership election.

Positions on Popular Issues

• Keir Starmer is a supporter of same-sex marriage, climate change action. He had been critical of the previous government's Brexit policy and voted to remain.
• Starmer supports a two state solution to the Israel / Gaza conflict
• Keir Starmer firmly opposed the 2003 Iraq war, maintaining that it was illegal under international law, a stance he insists remains unchanged despite his appointment in a government that supported the war.
• Starmer strongly rejects the proposal to introduce a proportional representation system for the House of Commons.

Notable - Other

• In addition to working as a barrister in the United Kingdom, Starmer has been called to the bar in a number of Caribbean countries, where he defended convicts sentenced to the death penalty.
• Starmer and his wife are raising their children in her Jewish faith. Starmer has stated that although he is not a believer in God, he appreciates the unifying power of faith.
• He is a keen footballer and has been a supporter of Arsenal since his childhood.
• Starmer is a pescatarian (no meat but does eat fish) and raised his children as vegetarians. Starmer gave up meat over 25 years ago.
• He is also a supporter of the arts and has been a patron of the Southbank Centre.

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