Leader of the Opposition of the United Kingdom since 2020
"Starmer" redirects here. For other people with this name, see Starmer (surname).
The Right Honourable Sir
Keir Starmer
KCB KC MP
Official portrait, 2017
Leader of the Opposition
Incumbent
Assumed office 4 April 2020
Monarchs
Elizabeth II
Charles III
Prime Minister
Boris Johnson
Liz Truss
Rishi Sunak
Deputy
Angela Rayner
Preceded by
Jeremy Corbyn
Leader of the Labour Party
Incumbent
Assumed office 4 April 2020
Deputy
Angela Rayner
General Secretary
Jennie Formby
David Evans
Chair
Angela Rayner
Anneliese Dodds
Preceded by
Jeremy Corbyn
Shadow portfolios
Shadow Secretary of State
2016–2020
Exiting the European Union
Shadow Minister
2015–2016
Immigration
Member of Parliament
for Holborn and St Pancras
Incumbent
Assumed office 7 May 2015
Preceded by
Frank Dobson
Majority
27,763 (48.9%)
Director of Public Prosecutions
In office 1 November 2008 – 1 November 2013
Appointed by
The Baroness Scotland of Asthal
Preceded by
Ken Macdonald
Succeeded by
Alison Saunders
Personal details
Born
Keir Rodney Starmer
(1962-09-02) 2 September 1962 (age 61) London, England
Political party
Labour
Spouse
Victoria Alexander
(m. 2007)
Children
2
Education
University of Leeds (LLB)
St Edmund Hall, Oxford (BCL)
Signature
Website
keirstarmer.com
Keir Starmer's voice
Starmer on the Jimmy Savile sexual abuse scandal Recorded 30 April 2014
This article is part of a series about
Keir Starmer
Political positions
Electoral history
MP for Holborn and St Pancras
Shadow Minister for Immigration
2016 shadow cabinet resignations
Shadow Brexit Secretary
Proposed referendum
Leader of the Opposition (2020–present)
Leader of the Labour Party
2020 leadership election
Leadership
Shadow Cabinet
Opposition frontbench
May 2021 reshuffle
November 2021 reshuffle
2023 reshuffle
Beergate
Elections
By elections (2019–present parliament)
Local elections
2021
2022
2023
2024
Next United Kingdom general election
Related
The Starmer Project
Personal life
v
t
e
Sir Keir Rodney StarmerKCB KC (/ˈkɪər/ⓘ; born 2 September 1962) is a British politician and barrister who has served as Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Labour Party since 2020. He has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Holborn and St Pancras since 2015. He was previously Director of Public Prosecutions from 2008 to 2013.
Starmer was born in London and raised in Surrey, where he attended the selective state Reigate Grammar School, which became a private school while he was a student. He graduated with a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Leeds in 1985 and gained a postgraduate Bachelor of Civil Law degree at St Edmund Hall at the University of Oxford in 1986. After being called to the bar, Starmer practised predominantly in criminal defence work, specialising in human rights matters. Becoming a member of Doughty Street Chambers in 1990, he was appointed as Queen's Counsel (QC) in 2002. In 2008, he became Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and Head of the Crown Prosecution Service, holding these positions until 2013. On conclusion of his five-year term as DPP, he was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in the 2014 New Year Honours.
Elected to the House of Commons at the 2015 general election, Starmer was appointed Shadow Minister for Immigration by new party leader Jeremy Corbyn in September 2015. He resigned in 2016 as part of the wider June 2016 British shadow cabinet resignations in protest at Corbyn's leadership, but accepted a new post under Corbyn later that year as Shadow Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union following the EU membership referendum. Starmer advocated a second referendum on Brexit, in which he stated he would vote to "remain"; this policy was ultimately included in the 2019 Labour election platform.
After Corbyn resigned following Labour's 2019 general election defeat, Starmer won the party's 2020 leadership election. His leadership has been characterised by movement towards the political centre and abandonment of much of the left-wing platform of his leadership campaign, as well as by opposition to some of the government response to the COVID-19 pandemic and issues such as Partygate, the September 2022 mini-budget, and the cost of living crisis. Starmer has emphasised the importance of eliminating antisemitism in the Labour Party. In 2023, he set out five missions for a Labour government, targeting issues such as economic growth, health, clean energy, crime, and education. Since late 2021, the party has maintained leads in opinion polling over the governing Conservative Party, often by very wide margins.
Sir Keir Rodney Starmer KCB KC (/ˈkɪər/ ; born 2 September 1962) is a British politician and barrister who has served as Leader of the Opposition and...
KeirStarmer became Leader of the Opposition in the United Kingdom after being elected as Leader of the Labour Party on 4 April 2020. He appointed his...
The Labour Party leadership of KeirStarmer began when KeirStarmer was elected as Leader of the UK Labour Party in April 2020, following the resignation...
Long-Bailey in the 2020 Labour Party leadership election, who came second to KeirStarmer, then successfully stood for the deputy leadership, after which she was...
next election, triggering a leadership election in 2020 that was won by KeirStarmer, his Shadow Brexit Secretary. During his tenure as leader, Corbyn came...
Mercer denied. Multiple Labour politicians, including party leader Sir KeirStarmer, criticised Mercer's comment. The Guardian noted that former UK Prime...
Party leadership election, though has since been a vocal supporter of KeirStarmer. It works to measure public opinion and develop political policy, and...
as a Labour MP at the next general election, the party's leader, Sir KeirStarmer, confirms. 16 February – Deputy First Minister of Scotland John Swinney...
During the 2020 Labour leadership election campaign Tarry said that KeirStarmer would have to show how he would appeal to northern seats that had abandoned...
25 October 2022. The following polls asked about voters' opinions on KeirStarmer, leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition since April...
On 28 March 2024, KeirStarmer and Angela Rayner launched Labour's campaign for the local elections at an event in Dudley. Starmer's speech mentioned the...
using public funds to pay for Conservative Party work and campaigns. Sir KeirStarmer admits he worries about the toll of a general election year on his two...
2019 general election, Abbott was removed from the Shadow Cabinet by KeirStarmer. During her political career, Abbott has made many controversial statements...
British Government front bench, and is currently the Labour Party led by KeirStarmer since April 2020. Key Although listed, Parliamentary Private Secretaries...
a political biography of British opposition and Labour Party leader KeirStarmer, and follows his time in the Crown Prosecution Service and Shadow Cabinet...
2019. Chapman was political secretary to the Leader of the Opposition, KeirStarmer, from 2020 to 2021. As a shadow Cabinet Office minister from 2021 to...
Leeds West and the Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer under party leader KeirStarmer. Reeves grew up in Sydenham and was educated at Adamsrill Primary School...
1969) is a British politician serving as Shadow Home Secretary under KeirStarmer since 2021, having also served in the position under Ed Miliband from...
Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs in KeirStarmer's Shadow Cabinet since November 2021. David Lammy was born on 19 July...
obtain the number of nominations needed. Thornberry was appointed to KeirStarmer's shadow cabinet as Shadow Secretary of State for International Trade...
coming in third place with 16.3% of the vote, behind KeirStarmer and Rebecca Long-Bailey. Starmer subsequently appointed Nandy as Shadow Secretary of...
resignation of Ed Miliband. She finished in last place. In April 2020, KeirStarmer appointed Kendall Shadow Minister for Social Care on the Official Opposition...
Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee from 2017 to 2020. After KeirStarmer was elected as leader in 2020, he appointed Reeves as Shadow Chancellor...
leader KeirStarmer, the prime minister, Rishi Sunak, itemised U-turns he said Starmer recently made, including on how to "define a woman". Starmer reacted...
Global Information
