Keir Starmer

Sir Keir Rodney Starmer (born 2 September 1962) is a British politician and lawyer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2024 to 2026. He was Leader of the Labour Party from 2020 to 2026 and Leader of the Opposition from 2020 to 2024. He was the member of Parliament (MP) for Holborn and St Pancras from 2015 to 2026. Before entering politics, he was a barrister and served as Director of Public Prosecutions from 2008 to 2013. Born in Southwark, London, and raised in Surrey, Starmer was politically active for the Labour Party Young Socialists as a teenager. He graduated as a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Leeds in 1985 and received a Bachelor of Civil Law degree as a member of St Edmund Hall, Oxford, in 1986. After being called to the bar, Starmer worked predominantly in criminal defence, specialising in human rights. He was a human rights adviser to the Northern Ireland Policing Board and became a Queen's Counsel in 2002. During his tenure as Director of Public Prosecutions, the cases he handled included the Stephen Lawrence murder. In the 2014 New Year Honours, he was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) for services to law and criminal justice. Starmer was elected to the House of Commons at the 2015 general election. He supported the Remain campaign in the 2016 European Union membership referendum and advocated for a second referendum on Brexit. He served under Jeremy Corbyn as Shadow Brexit Secretary and, following Corbyn's resignation after Labour's defeat at the 2019 general election, Starmer won the 2020 party leadership election. As Leader of the Opposition, he moved the Labour Party towards the political centre and claimed to have eliminated antisemitism within the party, but was criticised for breaking his leadership campaign pledges. His party made significant gains at the 2023 and 2024 local elections despite a drop in membership. Starmer led Labour to a landslide victory at the 2024 general election, ending 14 years of Conservative government with the smallest national vote share of any majority government since record-keeping began in 1830. Under Starmer's premiership, his government ended Winter Fuel Payments for some pensioners, implemented an early-release scheme for prisoners to decrease prison overcrowding, and launched a National Violent Disorder Programme following nationwide riots in 2024. Starmer restricted visa conditions, closed legal migration routes, and launched the Border Security Command. His government also established Great British Energy, decriminalised abortion by the pregnant woman herself in England and Wales, and announced changes to workers' and renters' rights, an increase in the minimum wage and investment in a new nuclear power station. In foreign policy, Starmer continued support for Ukraine in the Russo-Ukrainian war and limited support for Israel in Gaza while formally recognising the State of Palestine. His government negotiated free trade agreements with India, the European Union and the United States, and sought to improve relations with China. Starmer proved unpopular with the British public. His net approval rating began slightly positive but fell over the course of his premiership to an average of −46% by November 2025; an Ipsos poll that month indicates he was the least popular prime minister since its records began in 1977. Under Starmer's leadership, the Labour Party suffered deepening unpopularity and a left-wing exodus to the Green Party. Labour saw record electoral losses during the 2025 and May 2026 local elections, which culminated in a leadership crisis and Starmer's decision to resign, which he announced on 22 June. After a leadership election, he resigned on 20 July 2026 and was succeeded by Andy Burnham. On 1 September 2026, he resigned as an MP, triggering the 2026 Holborn and St Pancras by-election.

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