Keir Starmer: 7 Things to Know About UK Prime Minister-Elect
- Keir Starmer emerged as Britain's new prime minister after defeating his major rival, Rishi Sunak
- On Friday, July 5, Sunak will vacate his seat for his successor, Starmer, who has pledged a reset, not only for the country but also for the Labour Party
- Starmer won the UK general election with a landslide, with the mantra, 'change begins now', and Legit.ng has highlighted his exciting portfolio
Legit.ng journalist Esther Odili has over two years of experience covering political parties and movements.
On Friday, July 5, Keir Starmer will become the United Kingdom's first Labour prime minister since 2010 after his party's landslide general election victory.
Source: Facebook
Labour is returning to power with a huge parliamentary majority of 174, following a collapse in support for the Conservatives.
According to BBC reports, Keir will be formally appointed by King Charles III at Buckingham Palace later and then give his first speech on Downing Street.
Reuters reported on Friday that Keir Starmer enters power with one of the longest lists of problems ever to face an incoming prime minister and few resources to deal with them - a situation that could curtail any "honeymoon period" offered by the British people.
Ahead of Starmer's inauguration, Legit.ng compiled some interesting facts about the UK PM-elect:
Keir Starmer's uncommon first name
NPR reported on Friday that Keir Starmer got teased as a youngster over his uncommon first name, Keir, which means dark or brooding in Gaelic and Irish.
His biographer Tom Baldwin said, “His parents were proper old-fashioned socialists who may have named their son after Keir Hardie, a 19th-century Scottish trade unionist, who founded the Labour Party in 1900”.
UK's Labour Party leader
Keir Starmer is prime minister of the United Kingdom but has served as the Labour MP for Holborn and St Pancras.
He was elected the leader of the Labour Party on April 4, 2020.
How old is Keir Starmer
Starmer, 61, was born on September 2, 1962, in Southwark, London, but grew up in Oxted, Surrey. As reported by CBS News, Starmer grew up in a small town in Surrey, just outside London. His mother worked for the National Health Service, Britain's free public health care system, while his father was a toolmaker. He was the second of four children.
Married to a Jewish woman, Victoria
Starmer is married to Victoria, who practises Judaism. They have a son and a daughter.
According to The Jerusalem Post, Victoria Starmer, a Jewish woman with a rich cultural heritage and deep-rooted traditions, is poised to become the UK's first lady.
Despite Keir being an atheist, their family actively participates in Jewish traditions.
A first-class law graduate and journalist
The UK PM-elect reportedly studied law at the University of Leeds, where he graduated with first-class honours and a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree in 1985.
Keir Starmer undertook postgraduate studies in Law at the University of Oxford.
Keir Starmer served as the editor of Socialist Alternatives, a Trotskyist radical magazine, between 1986 and 1987.
Starmer called to bar in Caribbean countries
Keir Starmer became a barrister in 1987 at the Middle Temple. He became a bencher there in 2009. He was also called to the bar in several Caribbean countries.
He was a notable human rights lawyer.
From human rights lawyer to crime-fighting prosecutor
As reported by NPR, in July 2008, he became the head of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and Director of Public Prosecutions.
NPR reported that Keir Starmer worked as a human rights lawyer for about 20 years, and served as an adviser to police in Northern Ireland in 1998.
But he switched sides and became a prosecutor. He served as the director of public prosecutions for England and Wales for five years.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak concedes defeat
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Rishi Sunak, the outgoing Prime Minister of the UK, has conceded defeat in the general election held on Thursday, July 4.
In a statement, Sunak acknowledged the poll results, which saw the Labour Party win a majority of seats in the House of Commons.
Sunak took responsibility for the Conservative Party's loss, saying, "The British people have delivered a sobering verdict tonight, and I take responsibility for the loss."
Proofreading by Nkem Ikeke, journalist and copy editor at Legit.ng.
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Source: Legit.ng
