Keir Starmer: From his childhood to favourite football team, here's everything to know about the Labour leader

Sir Keir Starmer is a key figure in British politics.

Keir Starmer was born in Southwark, south London, in 1962.

His parents were long-term members of the Labour Party and named him after Keir Hardie, the party’s first leader in Parliament.

He was active in politics from an early age but also very invested in music.

He studied music alongside Norman Cook, who later became known as DJ Fatboy Slim.

He was a junior exhibitioner at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama where he played the flute, the piano, the recorder and the violin.

Sir Keir Starmer is a big fan of football. 

He played for Homerton Academicals, a north London amateur team.

He has also publicly expressed his support for Arsenal.

Keir Starmer was the first in his family to attend university. He studied law at the University of Leeds and graduated in 1985.

Keir Starmer's father, Rodney, was a toolmaker in a factory, and his mother, Josephine, was a nurse.

Sir Keir Starmer's mother was diagnosed with Still's disease. Along with his father, they spent most of their time caring for her. Keir's sister explained in an interview: ‘He’s had to be a grown-up all his life. I’ve always been quite open about my feelings – Keir is good at most things, but not that’.

Josephine Starmer died in 2015, two weeks before he became an MP. Three years later, Rodney died as well.

Keir Starmer met Victoria in the early 2000s when they both worked in a law firm. They got married in 2007.

Victoria Starmer worked as a solicitor before moving on to become an occupational health specialist and working for the NHS.

The couple have got two children, a son and a daughter, but they are successfully being shielded from the public eye.

Sir Keir Starmer is a pescatarian, which means he doesn't eat meat but he eats fish and seafood. His wife, Victoria, is a vegetarian. 

The couple raised their children as vegetarians up until the age of 10, at which point they gave them the option to eat meat if they wanted to.

Lady Victoria Starmer's family is Jewish. In an interview, Keir Starmer said: ‘My wife in particular wants our children to know the faith of her family’. He also explained they ‘observe some of the practices, for example Friday night prayers’.

While many believe his title is hereditary, he was actually appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in 2014 for his work in the law business. He rarely ever uses his title to this day. 

In 2008, he was appointed head of the Crown Prosecution Service and DPP.

During his time as Crown prosecutor, he brought down three Labour MPs and one Conservative for covering up scandals.

He first entered politics in 2015 when he was elected as a Member of Parliament, at the age of 52.

After Jeremy Corbyn won the 2016 Labour party elections, Keir Starmer was appointed Shadow Minister for Exiting the European Union. During this time, he advocated for a second Brexit referendum, during which people would have ‘all the information necessary’.

Sir Keir Starmer was elected leader of the Labour party in 2020.

Sir Keir Starmer was a strong critic of Rishi Sunak, saying: ‘Rishi Sunak is the chief architect of choices prioritising the wealthiest and of the government’s failure to get a grip of the economy and get growth going’.

In September 2023, Sir Keir Starmer was named ‘the overwhelming favourite to be the next Prime Minister’ by the New Statesman’s Left Power List 2023.

In July 2024 Keir Starmer made history when his party overthrew the Tories in the General Election.

He took his position as Prime Minister of the country on 5 July 2024. 

The Labour party won by a landslide, by taking 412 out of 650 seats.