Keir Starmer was born on September 2, 1962, in Southwark, London, England, as the son of Rod Starmer and Josephine Baker. His full name is Keir Rodney Starmer. He grew up in Surrey and was educated at Reigate Grammar School between 1974 and 1981. He completed his law degree at the University of Leeds in 1985 and obtained a master’s degree in Civil Law from St Edmund Hall at the University of Oxford in 1986.

During the 1980s and 1990s, Keir Starmer wrote articles for the journals Socialist Alternatives and Socialist Lawyer. After completing his legal training, he practiced as a barrister, working primarily in criminal defense and specializing in human rights law. In 1990, he became a member of Doughty Street Chambers, and in 2002 he was appointed Queen’s Counsel (QC).

In 2008, Keir Starmer was appointed Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and Head of the Crown Prosecution Service, positions he held until 2013. Following the completion of his five-year term as DPP, he was awarded the Order of the Bath in the 2014 New Year Honours. In the same year, due to his achievements in the field of law, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II, receiving the title “Sir.”

Keir Starmer married Victoria Alexander in 2007, and the couple has two children.

In the 2015 general election, Keir Starmer was elected to the House of Commons as Member of Parliament for Holborn and St Pancras. In September 2015, he was appointed Shadow Minister for Immigration by the new Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn. In 2016, he resigned as part of the mass resignation from the shadow cabinet in protest against Corbyn’s leadership, but later that year accepted the role of Shadow Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union following the EU membership referendum.

As Shadow Brexit Secretary, Keir Starmer advocated a second referendum on the United Kingdom’s membership of the European Union, stating that he would vote to remain. This policy was ultimately included in the Labour Party’s 2019 general election manifesto.

After the Labour Party’s heavy defeat in the 2019 general election, Jeremy Corbyn announced that he would step down as party leader. Keir Starmer declared his candidacy in the subsequent leadership election on January 4, 2020, receiving significant support from Members of Parliament and the trade union Unison. On April 4, 2020, he won the leadership contest in the first round with 56.2 percent of the vote, defeating Rebecca Long-Bailey and Lisa Nandy, and became Leader of the Opposition. In his acceptance speech, he stated that he intended to engage constructively with the government during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Following the early election decision announced by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on May 22, 2024, a general election was held on July 4, 2024. The Labour Party won 410 seats in the 650-seat House of Commons, securing a clear parliamentary majority. On July 5, 2024, Keir Starmer assumed office as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

Keir Starmer has served as Member of Parliament for Holborn and St Pancras since 2015 and as Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition from 2020 until becoming Prime Minister in 2024.

Political Party:
Labour Party

Source: Biyografiler.com