From independent kid to prime minister

Three years ago, Sir Keir Starmer seriously considered resigning as Labor leader.

It was 2021 and his party had just lost the Hartlepool by-election to Boris Johnson’s Conservatives.

This is the first time Labor has lost seats. Three short years now feel like a political career has passed.

Sir Keir became the fifth person in British history to propel Labor from opposition to power.

His party achieved a historic victory in the 2019 election and is on track to win in 2024.

However, the Hartlepool result is a reminder that Sir Keir’s journey to Downing Street has been far from smooth. In fact, for a long time his life and career followed a very different path.

One of four children, Keir Starmer grew up in the town of Oxstead on the border of Kent and Surrey.

He was raised by his father, a toolmaker, and his mother, a nurse, who suffered from a debilitating form of arthritis called Still’s disease.

Sir Keir discussed the challenges of growing up during the high inflation period of the 1970s.

“If you’re working class, you’re afraid of debt,” he said during the campaign.

“My mom and dad were afraid of going into debt, so they would choose the bill they didn’t pay.” The choice was the phone bill.

Sir Keir has been through a lot in his young life.

He is obsessed with football (center left of midfield, of course). He was a talented musician and studied violin with Norman Cook before becoming chart-topping DJ Fatboy Slim.

Sir Kyle also has a rebellious streak. He and his friends were once caught by police illegally selling ice cream on a French beach to raise cash.

But what about politics? There were always clues, including his name, which was given in homage to Keir Hardie, Labour’s first leader.

Sir Keir was involved in left-wing politics throughout his career before entering parliament.

It all started when he was at school, when he joined the Young Socialists, the youth movement of the Labor Party.

After graduating, Sir Keir became the first in his family to attend university, studying law at the Universities of Leeds and Oxford.

In Leeds, he was influenced by 1980s indie music, from The Smiths and The Wedding Present to Orange Juice and Aztec Camera.

His biographer, Tom Baldwin, noted that his favorite drink as a student was a mix of beer and cider – or snakebite – and that he enjoyed curry and chips.

For a time after graduating, Sir Keir lived above a brothel in north London.

More importantly, he is building a reputation as a workaholic that will allow him to go on to become a successful and distinguished human rights lawyer.

Meanwhile, Sir Keir continued his left-wing activities as a prominent contributor to the Socialist Lawyer magazine.

But politics was only a sideline, and for much of the next 20 years, his focus was on his legal career.

In 2008, he became Attorney General and Chief Prosecutor of England and Wales.

Sir Keir loved to talk about this period in his life as an example of his commitment to public service and often recalled his role in prosecuting terror gangs. But what else?

Under the 2010-15 coalition government he had to implement deep cuts, with the Crown Prosecution Service’s budget reduced by more than a quarter.

He also oversaw a number of high-profile decisions, including prosecuting MPs over parliamentary expenses following the 2009 scandal, and prosecuting then Lib Dem cabinet minister Chris Huhne for asking his wife to write him speeding points .

Sir Kyle was knighted in 2014 for his legal work.

Sir Keir admitted in an interview with the BBC towards the end of his term that the justice system was still failing vulnerable victims.

It wasn’t until the age of 52 that a career change came.

Sir Keir won comfortably, taking the safe Labor seat in north London. He became an MP on the same day as his predecessor Rishi Sunak.

But this is not a happy time for Labour.

The Conservative Party has just won the general election and Jeremy Corbyn (Jeremy Corbyn) has become the leader of the party. A fierce factional struggle is about to begin.

Much has been said and written about Sir Keir’s journey from backbencher to Labor leader – and now to Downing Street. But there are some things worth emphasizing.

When Jeremy Corbyn became leader, he appointed Sir Keir as shadow immigration minister, but this did not last long.

He resigned less than a year later, one of dozens of frontbench MPs who resigned in an attempt to force Corbyn out in the wake of the Brexit vote.

When that failed, Mr Corbyn successfully took on a leadership challenge and Sir Keir returned as shadow Brexit secretary.

Sir Keir’s stance on Mr Corbyn has changed over time.

In 2019, he was asked on BBC Breakfast to repeat the words “Jeremy Corbyn would make a great Prime Minister”. He did it.

Months later, he told the BBC that he supported Mr Corbyn “100 per cent” and worked with him to win the general election.

While others refused to serve under Corbyn, Sir Keir stayed in the tent and helped convince the leader to back a second Brexit referendum at the 2019 general election.

That election was a disaster for Labour. Mr Corbyn resigned and Sir Keir won the race to succeed him.

But when Boris Johnson came into office, many thought he was destined to stay in power for a while.

Many see Sir Keir as a leader who can help rebuild, but few see him as the man who can return them to power.

When did it change? Opinion polls give us a good indication.

Sir Keir’s Labor trailed Johnson’s Conservatives in the polls for much of the 2020 and 2021 Hartlepool by-elections.

But that began to change after reports of Downing Street parties first emerged during the pandemic, when strict restrictions around social gatherings were put in place.

One clear point in the polls: Labor overtook the Conservatives in November 2021.

Liz Truss’s lead increased significantly after she launched Mini Budget and has remained consistent and significant ever since.

Sir Keir’s allies believe this will not happen without significant changes in the Labor Party. Sir Keir can be ruthless at times.

Jeremy Corbyn was expelled from the parliamentary party and eventually banned from standing as Labor candidate.

Economic policies are tightened; this means that if policies are deemed unaffordable, they are scrapped.

Lord Keir espoused British patriotism, using the Union Jack as the backdrop for his speech and having his conference sing “God Save the King”.

All of this contributes to Sir Keir’s message of change. He spent his campaign claiming that he had transformed the Labor Party and could transform the country.

The election result will also mean changes for the Starmer family.

Sir Keir is 61 years old. Married his wife Victoria in 2007. Her intention is to continue working for NHS occupational health while he is Prime Minister.

Ms Starmer has appeared at high-profile events such as conference speeches, rallies last week and Taylor Swift’s concerts. But she is unlikely to play a major role in public life like some past partners.

However, Sir Keir spoke candidly about the impact the senior role could have, particularly on his teenage son and daughter.

In 2021, he told the BBC: “I worry about my children. That’s probably the only thing that keeps me sane – how are we going to protect them through this.

This is the challenge the Starmers will face as they move into Downing Street after a far from straightforward testing journey.