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Keir Starmer: Meet the New Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

Keir Starmer: Meet the New Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

Following initial results indicating a significant victory for the Labour Party in the parliamentary elections, attention turns to Keir Starmer, who would become the next Prime Minister of the UK pending official results.

**Who is Starmer?**

Starmer is a lawyer and served as editor for a Trotskyist magazine in his youth, being anti-monarchy according to a report from the Washington Post. A biographer admitted that "it's hard to define Starmer's identity," as the 61-year-old has used this ambiguity to his advantage.

**Working-Class Background**

Starmer will be the first leader from a working-class background in a generation, following Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who has been accused of being wealthier than the royal family. During the election campaign, Starmer introduced himself by saying, "My mother was a nurse, and my father was a toolmaker." He also spoke of his upbringing amid unpaid bills and disconnected phones. Starmer excelled academically, gaining admission to an esteemed secondary school and later attending the University of Leeds, followed by a year at the University of Oxford. He shared that his father felt "disrespected" working in a factory and was emotionally distant. As a father, he claims to "make time for the kids" and aims to stop working Fridays at 6 PM. Though an atheist, he mentioned that they often have Saturday dinner in accordance with his wife's Jewish heritage.

**Human Rights Advocate**

Regarding his legal career, Starmer joined Doughty Street Chambers early on, known for taking on high-profile and controversial human rights cases. He fought against the death penalty in Commonwealth countries and represented individuals labeled in popular press as "child killers and axe murderers." He was part of the legal team that urged the Ugandan Constitutional Court to overturn death sentences for 417 people. Starmer also volunteered with two vegan activists who distributed leaflets accusing McDonald's of low wages and animal cruelty, leading to a defamation lawsuit that became one of the longest legal battles in British history, ending in a sort of stalemate. He oversaw the UK’s first trial of Al-Qaeda terrorists and faced criticism for his stringent handling of the charges against individuals involved in the 2011 London riots that occurred after the police shooting of a Black man named Mark Duggan.

**Political Career**

Starmer entered politics at the age of 52, just nine years ago, at a time when many MPs were already planning their paths to power during their university days. He was elected to represent Holborn and St Pancras in London in 2015 and served as "shadow minister" in the opposition, tasked with navigating the Labour Party's delicate position on Brexit. While he opposed leaving the EU, many Labour voters supported it. The party's ambiguous stance was not firmly pro- or anti-Brexit and called for a second referendum. This issue arguably contributed to the Labour Party's significant loss to the Conservatives in 2019. However, after that election, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn stepped down, and Starmer took over, embarking on a reshaping of the party.

**As Prime Minister**

Critics from the left doubt Starmer will be bold as Prime Minister, predicting he will remain centrist. Much of his focus is expected to be on domestic policy, aiming to support the British economy and address public concerns over rising everyday costs. He intends to lower high electricity costs by establishing a new state-run green utility company and wants to reduce waiting times for medical and dental appointments. Observers note that British foreign policy rarely changes significantly with a new government, especially as foreign policy often remains stable during the transition from Conservative to Labour leadership. Starmer has previously stated that Britain will remain a strong member of NATO and will support Ukraine in its war against Russia, while also supporting Israel's right to defend itself against Hamas, though he calls for a ceasefire. Although Brexit is seen as a failure and there is a lack of enthusiasm for another referendum, it is likely that under Starmer's leadership, Britain will seek to establish a closer relationship with the EU.

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