Keir Starmer Fast Facts
CNN Editorial Research
(CNN) — Here is a look at the life of Keir Starmer, prime minister of the United Kingdom.
Personal
Birth date: September 2, 1962
Birth place: London, England
Birth name: Keir Rodney Starmer
Father: Rodney Starmer, toolmaker
Mother: Josephine (Baker) Starmer, nurse
Marriage: Victoria (Alexander) Starmer (2007-present)
Children: A son and daughter
Education: University of Leeds, first class degree in law, 1985; University of Oxford, Bachelor of Civil Law, 1986
Religion: Atheist
Other Facts
Was reportedly named after Keir Hardie, the first Labour leader in parliament.
Starmer’s mother was diagnosed at a young age with Still’s disease, a rare inflammatory disorder that eventually left her unable to walk, eat or talk.
Served as human rights adviser to the Northern Ireland Policing Board following the Good Friday Agreement, a 1998 peace deal that brought an end to decades of sectarian violence on the island of Ireland known as “the Troubles.”
Timeline
1987 – Becomes a barrister at the Middle Temple.
April 9, 2002 – Appointed Queen’s Counsel.
2008-2013 – Director of Public Prosecutions, running the Crown Prosecution Service of England and Wales.
2014 – Is awarded a knighthood from Charles, then-Prince of Wales.
May 7, 2015 – Elected a Member of Parliament for Holborn and St. Pancras.
April 4, 2020 – Elected leader of the Labour Party, replacing Jeremy Corbyn.
July 4, 2024 – The Labour Party wins Britain’s general election by a landslide, ending a 14-year era of Conservative rule.
July 5, 2024 – Officially becomes prime minister of the United Kingdom.
September 21, 2025 – Announces that the United Kingdom will formally recognize a Palestinian state.
January 29, 2026 – Meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, the first visit of a British leader to the country in eight years.
April 20, 2026 – Tells parliament that he shouldn’t have appointed Peter Mandelson – whose close ties to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein would be detailed in files released by the US Department of Justice – as Britain’s ambassador to the United States.
June 22, 2026 – Starmer announces he will resign as prime minister amid mounting pressure from his own lawmakers. Last month’s local election results saw Starmer’s Labour party lose more than 1,400 seats across English councils and control of the Welsh parliament, where it had been the largest party for decades.
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