Keir Starmer

Keir Starmer was born on September 2, 1962, in London, England, the second of four children. Excelling in academics, music, and football, Starmer was nicknamed “superboy” by his siblings. 

He earned a first-class Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Leeds and completed a postgraduate Bachelor of Civil Law at Oxford’s St Edmund Hall. He then served as a legal officer at the National Council for Civil Liberties, offering free legal aid to women from a massage parlor beneath his flat on weekends.

After his studies, Starmer became more active in politics, joining the Socialist Society and co-founding the magazine Socialist Alternatives, which criticized Labour’s economic policies and advocated a radical alternative. He gained recognition for his pro bono work in the “McLibel” case, a landmark legal battle involving allegations of defamation against McDonald’s by environmental activists. 

Starmer also served as a human rights adviser to the Northern Ireland Policing Board and was appointed as Queen’s Counsel (QC) in 2002, recognizing his expertise and contributions to the legal field. By 2008, he had built a strong reputation and became the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), leading the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). Starmer was later knighted in 2014 for his services as DPP. 

By the 2010s, Starmer decided he had accomplished all he could in his legal career and shifted his focus to politics. In 2015, at age 52, he was elected to Parliament and served as shadow Brexit secretary under Jeremy Corbyn. Though he accepted Brexit, he campaigned for a second referendum, a public vote regarding Brexit. 

Led by Corbyn, whose agenda was viewed as radical and far left, Labour was routed in the 2019 election. Corbyn was accused of anti-Semitism, as were other members of the party, which led droves of Jewish voters to abandon their longtime support for Labour. Starmer was chosen to replace Corbyn in 2020 and quickly acted to purge the party of anti-Semites and restore the confidence of the Jewish community. Starmer called anti-Semitism “a stain on our party.”

Corbyn was exiled from the party and ran and won against it in his constituency.

After Prime Minister Rishi Sunak unexpectedly called for an election, Starmer led Labour to a landslide victory on July 4, 2024. The next day, he became the country’s 58th prime minister and the first Labour leader to win a national election since Tony Blair. Like Blair, he steered Labour toward the political center and promised change, stability, and hope after 14 years of Conservative rule.

Starmer is married to Victoria Alexander Starmer, a Jewish former solicitor who now works for the National Health Service. Together, they have two children, who they have raised Jewish.  They celebrate Shabbat and belong to the Liberal Jewish Synagogue in London. 

Sources: Gordon Rayner, “Who is Keir Starmer? The grammar school ‘superboy’ who became Labour’s next PM,” The Telegraph, (July 6, 2024).
Jill Lawless, “He’s derided as dull but Keir Starmer becomes UK prime minister with a sensational victory,” AP News, (July 5, 2024).
Ben Sales, “Keir Starmer, who prioritized fighting antisemitism in Labour Party, becomes Britain’s PM after landslide win,” Jewish Telegraphic Agency, (July 4, 2024).
Beth Harpaz, “UK’s new prime minister, Keir Starmer, observes Shabbat, supports Israel and vows to fight antisemitism,” Forward, (July 5, 2024).
Catherine Baksi, “Landmarks in law: McLibel and the longest trial in British legal history,” The Guardian, (July 8, 2019).

Photo: Official portrait of Keir Starmer - Chris McAndrew via Wikimedia Commons.