The UK’s Labour Party has secured a landslide victory in the national elections, ending the 14-year rule of the Conservative Party. Following this victory, Keir Starmer is poised to become the country’s new Prime Minister.
Who is Keir Starmer?
Keir Starmer was born in London, England, in 1962. His father worked as a toolmaker, and his mother was a nurse. Starmer, now 61, often highlights his humble origins to connect with British voters.
Starmer was the first in his family to attend university, studying law at the University of Leeds, and later completing postgraduate studies at the University of Oxford. In 1987, he began his career as a barrister, handling notable cases against corporations such as Shell and McDonald’s, and addressing the mine closures under former Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
He also contributed as a human rights adviser during former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair’s negotiations for the Northern Ireland Good Friday Agreement.
In 2008, a year after marrying his wife, Victoria, Starmer became the director of public prosecutions, leading the UK’s Crown Prosecution Service. He was knighted in 2014 for his contributions to criminal justice and was elected to Parliament the following year. There, he served as the opposition immigration minister and opposition Brexit minister.
In 2020, Starmer became the Labour leader and initiated a significant overhaul of the party following Jeremy Corbyn’s resignation after a historic loss in the 2019 election.
