The Labour Party wins the UK general election.
Excerpts from an A.P. profile on their leader and the new P.M.
Compare and contrast his background and experience with the political leaders of the major parties in Canada and the USA.
Jill Lawless -The Associated Press
Excerpts from an A.P. profile on their leader and the new P.M.
Compare and contrast his background and experience with the political leaders of the major parties in Canada and the USA.
Jill Lawless -The Associated Press
For someone often derided as dull, Keir Starmer has delivered a sensational election result. The 61-year-old Starmer led Labour to a landslide victory.
Born in 1963, Starmer is the son of a toolmaker and a nurse who named him after Keir Hardie, the Labour Party’s first leader. One of four children, he was raised in a cash-strapped household in a small town outside London.
“There were hard times,” he said in a speech launching his election campaign. “I know what out-of-control inflation feels like, how the rising cost of living can make you scared of the postman coming down the path: ‘Will he bring another bill we can’t afford?’”
Starmer’s mother suffered from a chronic illness, Still’s disease, that left her in pain, and Starmer has said that visiting her in the hospital and helping to care for her helped form his strong support for the state-funded National Health Service.
He was the first member of his family to go to college, studying law at Leeds University and Oxford. As a lawyer, he took civil liberties cases including that of the “McLibel Two,” green activists sued by McDonald’s for handing out leaflets saying the restaurant chain sold unhealthy food.
His switch to become chief prosecutor in 2008 surprised some colleagues. But during five years in the job he gained a reputation as a tough and hard-working director of public prosecutions, a role that included prosecuting people charged with terrorism, organized crime and other serious offenses.
Starmer entered politics relatively late, in his 50s, and was elected to Parliament in 2015. He often disagreed with the party leader at the time.
He said he wanted to stay and fight to change Labour, arguing that “leaders are temporary, but political parties are permanent.”
Starmer promised “a culture change in the Labour Party.” His mantra is “country before party.”
“While I don’t think anyone is particularly excited about Keir Starmer, I think he has done a good job of situating himself as the kind of competent grown up in the room who is going to be able to bring government back to where it belongs,” said Lise Butler, senior lecturer in modern history at City University of London.
Born in 1963, Starmer is the son of a toolmaker and a nurse who named him after Keir Hardie, the Labour Party’s first leader. One of four children, he was raised in a cash-strapped household in a small town outside London.
“There were hard times,” he said in a speech launching his election campaign. “I know what out-of-control inflation feels like, how the rising cost of living can make you scared of the postman coming down the path: ‘Will he bring another bill we can’t afford?’”
Starmer’s mother suffered from a chronic illness, Still’s disease, that left her in pain, and Starmer has said that visiting her in the hospital and helping to care for her helped form his strong support for the state-funded National Health Service.
He was the first member of his family to go to college, studying law at Leeds University and Oxford. As a lawyer, he took civil liberties cases including that of the “McLibel Two,” green activists sued by McDonald’s for handing out leaflets saying the restaurant chain sold unhealthy food.
His switch to become chief prosecutor in 2008 surprised some colleagues. But during five years in the job he gained a reputation as a tough and hard-working director of public prosecutions, a role that included prosecuting people charged with terrorism, organized crime and other serious offenses.
Starmer entered politics relatively late, in his 50s, and was elected to Parliament in 2015. He often disagreed with the party leader at the time.
He said he wanted to stay and fight to change Labour, arguing that “leaders are temporary, but political parties are permanent.”
Starmer promised “a culture change in the Labour Party.” His mantra is “country before party.”
“While I don’t think anyone is particularly excited about Keir Starmer, I think he has done a good job of situating himself as the kind of competent grown up in the room who is going to be able to bring government back to where it belongs,” said Lise Butler, senior lecturer in modern history at City University of London.
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