Difference between revisions of "Keir Starmer"

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{{person
 
{{person
 
|name=Sir Keir Starmer
 
|name=Sir Keir Starmer
|image=Keir_Starmer.jpeg
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|image=Starmer_PM.jpg
 
|image_width=240px
 
|image_width=240px
|birth_date=1962-09-02
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|image_caption=
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|birth_date=2 September 1962
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|birth_name=Keir Rodney Starmer
 
|death_date=
 
|death_date=
|constitutes=lawyer
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|constitutes=lawyer, politician, deep state operative?, puppet leader
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|description=A suspected [[deep state operative]], who as [[Director of Public Prosecutions]] failed to prosecute [[Jimmy Savile]] but pressed on with charges against [[Julian Assange]].
 
|wikipedia=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keir_Starmer
 
|wikipedia=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keir_Starmer
 
|spouses=Victoria Alexander
 
|spouses=Victoria Alexander
 
|alma_mater=University of Leeds, St Edmund Hall (Oxford)
 
|alma_mater=University of Leeds, St Edmund Hall (Oxford)
 
|website=http://keirstarmer.com
 
|website=http://keirstarmer.com
 +
|nationality=UK
 
|twitter=https://twitter.com/Keir_Starmer
 
|twitter=https://twitter.com/Keir_Starmer
 
|birth_place=London, England
 
|birth_place=London, England
 
|political_parties=Labour
 
|political_parties=Labour
 +
|interests=Labour Friends of Israel
 
|children=2
 
|children=2
 
|powerbase=http://www.powerbase.info/index.php/Keir_Starmer
 
|powerbase=http://www.powerbase.info/index.php/Keir_Starmer
 
|employment={{job
 
|employment={{job
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|title=UK/Prime Minister
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|start=5 July 2024
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|end=
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}}{{job
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|title=UK/Leader of the Opposition
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|start=4 April 2020
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|end=4 July 2024
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}}{{job
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|title=Leader of the Labour Party
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|start=4 April 2020
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|end=
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}}{{job
 
|title=Shadow Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union
 
|title=Shadow Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union
 
|start=6 October 2016
 
|start=6 October 2016
|end=
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|end=4 April 2020
 
}}{{job
 
}}{{job
|title=Member of Parliament for Holborn and St Pancras
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|title=UK/Member of Parliament for Holborn and St Pancras
 
|start=7 May 2015
 
|start=7 May 2015
 
|end=
 
|end=
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'''Sir Keir Starmer''' (born 2 September 1962) is a British politician and [[barrister]] who has been the [[Labour Party]] Member of Parliament for Holborn and St Pancras since the 2015 General Election. On 6 October 2016 he was appointed Shadow Brexit Secretary by [[Jeremy Corbyn]].<ref>''[http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-37579687 "Appointed Shadow Brexit Secretary by Jeremy Corbyn"]''</ref>
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'''Sir Keir Starmer''' is a [[British]] [[Labour Party]] politician who succeeded [[Rishi Sunak]] as [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom]] following the [[UK/General election/2024]].<ref>''[https://www.theguardian.com/politics/ng-interactive/2024/jul/05/eleven-charts-that-show-how-labour-won-by-a-landslide "Twelve charts that show how Labour won by a landslide"]''</ref>
 
 
Keir Starmer is standing as a candidate in the [[2020 Labour Party leadership contest]].<ref>''[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-51055663 "Labour leadership: Phillips and Nandy secure nominations"]''</ref>
 
  
==Career==
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On 5 July 2024, [[Craig Murray]] wrote:{{QB|
Keir Starmer was the [[Director of Public Prosecutions]] (DPP) and the Head of the [[Crown Prosecution Service]] (CPS) from 2008 to 2013.<ref>''[http://www.thelawyer.com/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=133949 Nina Goswami: "Keir Starmer QC appointed DPP"]''</ref> He has prosecuted in numerous cases for the CPS during his career, while acting principally as a defence lawyer specialising in [[human rights]] issues.<ref>''[http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/law/article4397189.ece Frances Gibb: "Human rights lawyer Keir Starmer named as new prosecution service chief"]''</ref>
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:"Millions fewer people turned out to make Keir Starmer Prime Minister than turned out to attempt the same for [[Jeremy Corbyn]]. That is the most important fact of [[UK/General election/2024|this election]], and the one the [[mainstream media]] works hardest to hide.
 +
:"I don’t think any Prime Minister has ever come to power with less popular enthusiasm than Keir Starmer."<ref>''[[Document:The Rejection of Starmerism]]''</ref>}}
  
==Labour leadership profile==
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==From law to politics==
Keir Starmer is the current frontrunner to take over from [[Jeremy Corbyn]], with the bookies making him the [https://www.oddschecker.com/politics/british-politics/next-labour-leader clear favourite and many offering extremely short odds of 1/2.]
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Keir Starmer is a former [[Director of Public Prosecutions]] and Head of the [[Crown Prosecution Service]], where he was central in making sure the case against [[Julian Assange]] continued.
  
===Background===
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Aged 53, Keir Starmer was elected [[Labour Party]] Member of Parliament for [[Holborn and St Pancras]] constituency at the 2015 General Election, and on 6 October 2016 he was appointed Shadow Brexit Secretary by [[Jeremy Corbyn]]<ref>''[http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-37579687 "Appointed Shadow Brexit Secretary by Jeremy Corbyn"]''</ref> whom he later helped to oust, taking over as [[Leader of the Labour Party|Labour leader]].
Keir Starmer was born in 1967 in Southwark, London. His father, Rod Starmer, was a toolmaker, and his mother, Josephine Starmer (née Baker), was a nurse. Starmer’s parents were both staunch Labour supporters, and they named Keir – their second son – after the first leader of the Labour Party, Keir Hardie.
 
  
In contrast to his three siblings who all went the the local Comprehensive school, Starmer passed his 11-plus exam and gained entry into Reigate Grammar school. Starmer then studied law at Leeds University, where he graduated with a first-class Bachelor of Laws (LLB) in 1985, before winning a place at Oxford where he graduated with a Bachelor of Civic Law (BCL) in 1986.
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On 5 June 2020, [[Matt Kennard]] posed five questions for him to answer:{{QB|The public deserves answers about the UK’s new opposition leader and his relationship with the British [[national security]] [[establishment]], including the [[MI5]] and the ''[[Times]]'' newspaper, his former role in the [[Julian Assange]] case and his membership in the intelligence-linked [[Trilateral Commission]].<ref>''[https://thegrayzone.com/2020/06/05/five-questions-for-new-labour-leader-sir-keir-starmer-about-his-uk-and-us-national-security-establishment-links/ "Five questions for new Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer about his UK and US national security establishment links"]''</ref>}}
What was Keir Starmer’s career before becoming an MP?
 
  
A year after graduating from Oxford, Starmer became a Barrister at the highly distinguished Middle Temple. He was then appointed as a member of the Queen’s Counsel (QC) in 2002, and moved to Doughty Street Chambers the following year.
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==Background==
 +
Keir Starmer was born in 1962 in Southwark, London. His father, Rodney Starmer, was a toolmaker, and his mother, Josephine Starmer (née Baker), was a nurse. His parents were both staunch [[Labour]] supporters, and they named Keir – their second son – after the first leader of the Labour Party, [[Keir Hardie]]. In contrast to his three siblings who all went the the local Comprehensive school, Starmer passed his 11-plus exam and gained entry into Reigate Grammar school. Starmer then studied law at [[Leeds University]], where he graduated with a first-class Bachelor of Laws (LLB) in 1985, before winning a place at Oxford where he graduated with a Bachelor of Civic Law (BCL) in 1986.
  
Starmer’s legal work primarily consisted of human rights issues, with one of his most notable successes being the so-called “McLibel” case where he assisted two environmental activists, Helen Steel and David Morris, in a highly contentious case brought against them by the US fast-food giants, McDonald’s.
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===Toolmaker father===
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[[File:Keir's_dad_Rodney.webp|300px|left|thumb|Keir Starmer with his parents, Rodney and Josephine, at his 2007 wedding to wife Victoria]]
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[[File:Rodney_Starmer_toolmaker.webp|400px|right|thumb|Rodney Starmer: Keir spent six months before university working "in my factory operating a production machine"]]
 +
In March 2018, [[Starmer]] told the [[BBC]]’s [[Nick Robinson]] that his father Rodney "was a toolmaker working in a factory and working every hour, basically." The following year, he told the [[BBC Radio 4]]'s ''Today'' programme that his father "worked in a factory" as a toolmaker. The inference that listeners might have drawn is that Rodney Starmer was employed by somebody else. For reasons best known to himself, Keir Starmer did not use any of these opportunities to explain that his father, in fact, ran his own business, the Oxted Tool Company, as a sole trader. Reflecting on his son’s knighthood in 2014, Rodney Starmer wrote in Oxted’s theatre newsletter that his son had spent six months before university working "in my factory operating a production machine." Perhaps it would be most accurate to say that Starmer’s background was neither working class nor 'posh', as some commentators have attempted to prove, but was instead closer to what sociologists would once have called ''petit bourgeois''. This French term is akin to lower-middle class.<ref>''[https://labourheartlands.com/keir-starmer-my-dad-was-a-toolmaker-and-other-little-grifts/ "Keir Starmer: ‘My Dad Was a Toolmaker’ and Other Little Grifts"]''</ref>
  
McDonald’s had accused Steel and Morris of libel after they produced and publicised a factsheet which contained numerous claims that were highly critical of the company’s ethics and practices. Both were refused legal aid in order to defend themselves, but received substantial pro-bono assistance from a number of lawyers, including Starmer.
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===Line of gamekeepers===
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[[File:Herbert_Starmer.webp|300px|right|thumb|Gamekeeper grandfather Herbert Starmer was a [[Tory]] and lived in Marden Castle. Gamekeepers are traditionally considered obsequious minions to the lords of the manor<ref>https://www.edwardianpromenade.com/occupations/the-edwardian-gamekeeper/</ref>]]
 +
On 5 June 2024, [[Ricky Tomlinson]] posted on '''[[X]]''':{{QB|
 +
:Keir Starmer keeps on mentioning his dad (Rodney) was a toolmaker but never mentions that his grandfather (Herbert) was a [[Tory]] who lived in Marden Castle or that his great-uncle was Chairman of the Godstone Conservative Association.<ref>''[https://x.com/MyArrse/status/1798229719793746395 Keir Starmer keeps on mentioning his dad was a toolmaker"]''</ref>}}<ref>''[https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13480869/Sir-Keir-Labour-leader-rural-poverty-childhood-grandfather-Marden-Castle-great-uncle-chairman-Godstone-Conservative-Association.html "Revealed: Sir Keir's family castle! The Labour leader talked about rural poverty in his childhood. He didn't mention that his grandfather lived in Marden Castle - and his great-uncle was chairman of the Godstone Conservative Association"]''</ref>
  
During the trial, McDonald’s initially argued that all the claims in Steel and Morris’s pamplet were false, but, after almost ten years of legal wranglings, a number of the claims in the document were eventually proved to be true – including the claims that McDonalds did “exploit children“, that they were “culpably responsible” for unnecessary cruelty to animals, and that the company were “antipathetic” to the unionisation of workers and helped to “depress wages in the catering trade“.
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On 27 May 2024, ''[[The Telegraph]]'' reported that Keir Starmer comes from a line of gamekeepers, according to a 1977 pamphlet written by his grandfather Herbert for the [http://bournesoc.org.uk/ Bourne Society:]{{QB|
 +
:Herbert Starmer remembered his rural upbringing fondly – how their cottage would be used by the shoot to hide from the rain and his gamekeeper father left with a gun slung under his arm.
  
In addition to his role in the McLibel case, Starmer undertook substantial legal work challenging the death penalty in the Caribbean and Africa, and he also worked as a human rights advisor to the Policing Board in Northern Ireland.
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:Some of his earliest memories, he told a local history pamphlet, were catching rabbits and of the tame fox living in the family’s shed.
  
Following years of successful legal work in the field of human rights, and after being named QC of the Year in 2007, Starmer was named as the new Head of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in 2008.
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:The quintessential image of a rural life is a far cry from that of his grandson – the knighted [[human rights]] barrister who is vying to become the country’s next prime minister.
  
During his role as DPP, Starmer oversaw numerous highly successful cases, including the prosecution and eventual conviction of a number of MPs and Lords who abused their taxpayer-funded parliamentary expenses, and the successful retrial of the killers of Stephen Lawrence.
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:In the interview, a copy of which has been obtained by ''[[The Telegraph]]'', Herbert Starmer explains how his father (Gustavus), his seven uncles, and his grandfather were all gamekeepers.<ref>''[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2024/05/27/keir-starmer-should-protect-countryside-line-gamekeeper/ "Keir Starmer should protect the countryside – he comes from a line of gamekeepers"]''</ref>}}
Criticism over the Jimmy Savile and John Worboys cases
 
  
Starmer has also encountered criticism for a number of decisions made during his time as DPP – including the failure to bring charges against the prolific paedophile, Jimmy Savile, whilst he was still alive. The decision was made despite the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) receiving substantial evidence of his crimes from witnesses and victims several years before the disgraced former BBC presenter died in 2011.
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===Marriage===
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Starmer met [[Victoria Alexander]], then a solicitor, in the early [[2000s]] while he was a senior barrister with [[Doughty Street Chambers]], becoming engaged in 2004 and married on 6 May 2007.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20240702115345/https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/victoria-starmer-solicitor-keir-wife-first-lady-b1164846.html</ref> The couple have two children, a son, who was born a year after their wedding, and a daughter, born two years after that. Both are being brought up in the [[Jewish]] faith of their mother.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20220925100146/http://thejc.com/news/uk/starmer-our-kids-are-being-brought-up-to-know-their-jewish-backgrounds-1.508720</ref><ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20240527130423/https://graziadaily.co.uk/life/in-the-news/lady-victoria-starmer/</ref> The couple was "set to bring Shabbat to Downing Street,"<ref>https://www.jpost.com/international/article-809065</ref> Starmer suggesting he would be off the clock by 6pm on Fridays for the religious celebration - despite being an [[atheist]] himself.<ref>https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13605209/sir-keir-starmer-wife-victoria-jewish-father-downing-street.html</ref>
  
In 2013, Starmer made a personal apology for the decision not to pursue charges against Savile, but a CPS review claimed that police errors and mistakes by the principal lawyer dealing with the allegations led to the ultimate decision, rather than Starmer himself.
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Victoria Alexander Starmer worked for the law firm Hodge, Jones & Allen. [[Henry Hodge|Henry]] and [[Margaret Hodge]] were instrumental in the creation of New Labour, i.e. refashioning Labour as a Third Way party. Margaret and Henry Hodge had also previously operated at the epicentre of the [[Islington Council child abuse scandal]].<ref>https://aanirfan.blogspot.com/2024/06/victoria-starmer-margaret-hodge.html?m=1</ref><ref>https://nwobroadcastcorp.wordpress.com/2024/07/05/keir-and-victoria-starmer-uks-new-zionist-genocide-supporting-terrorists/</ref>
  
Starmer has also encountered criticism over the CPS’s decision to release the profilic serial rapist, John Worboys, from prison, as well as the decision not to pursue 75 further allegations made against him.
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==Career==
 +
A year after graduating from [[St Edmund Hall (Oxford)]], Starmer became a Barrister at the Middle Temple. He was then appointed as a member of the Queen’s Counsel (QC) in 2002, and moved to Doughty Street Chambers the following year.
  
However, in 2018, the CPS issued a statement claiming the Starmer had no role in either of the decisions regarding Worboys.
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Starmer's legal work primarily consisted of - noticeably unthreatening for the establishment -  [[human rights]] issues, with one of his most notable successes being the so-called “[[McLibel]]” case where he assisted two environmental activists, Helen Steel and David Morris, in a highly contentious case brought against them by the US fast-food giants, [[McDonald's]]. McDonald's had accused Steel and Morris of libel after they produced and publicised a factsheet which contained numerous claims that were highly critical of the company's ethics and practices. Both were refused legal aid in order to defend themselves, but received substantial pro-bono assistance from a number of lawyers, including Starmer.
  
And, speaking just a few days ago, Starmer reiterated the claim that it was the CPS who made the decisions in this case rather than him, stating:
+
During the trial, McDonald’s initially argued that all the claims in Steel and Morris’s pamplet were false, but, after almost ten years of legal wranglings, a number of the claims in the document were eventually proved to be true – including the claims that McDonalds did “exploit children“, that they were “culpably responsible” for unnecessary cruelty to animals, and that the company were “antipathetic” to the unionisation of workers and helped to "depress wages in the catering trade".
  
“It is very important that if there are any allegations that anybody thinks have not been looked into sufficiently, or at all, that they go to the police so they can be looked into.
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In addition to his role in the McLibel case, Starmer undertook substantial legal work challenging the death penalty in the Caribbean and Africa, and he also worked as a human rights advisor to the Policing Board in [[Northern Ireland]].
  
“It is really important that what is said is factually accurate. As you know the Crown Prosecution Service hold the file on this case. They made the decision in the case and it is really important that you go them to get an accurate read out of the decisions that have been made.
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Following years of successful legal work in the field of human rights, and after being named QC of the Year in 2007, Starmer was named as the new Head of the [[Crown Prosecution Service]] (CPS) and the [[Director of Public Prosecutions]] (DPP) in 2008.<ref>''[http://www.thelawyer.com/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=133949 Nina Goswami: "Keir Starmer QC appointed DPP"]''</ref><ref>''[http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/law/article4397189.ece Frances Gibb: "Human rights lawyer Keir Starmer named as new prosecution service chief"]''</ref>
  
===Is he working class?===
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==Director of Public Prosecutions==
A number of media outlets have already criticised Keir Starmer over his apparently “middle-class“, “London liberal” status – claiming that Labour should be electing a working class voice in order to win back with their traditional voters. However, despite his distinguished career, Starmer actually comes from a far less privileged background then [[Boris Johnson]], and even [[Jeremy Corbyn]].
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During his role as [[Director of Public Prosecutions]] (DPP) (2008 to 2013), Keir Starmer oversaw the prosecution and conviction of a number of MPs and Lords who abused their taxpayer-funded parliamentary expenses, and the successful retrial of the killers of [[Stephen Lawrence]].
  
Starmer has previously described his background as working class, claiming his family “didn’t have much money“, and stating that his eventual success was not typical of someone with such a background:
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All of Keir Starmer's predecessors as [[DPP]] received knighthoods for the role, and he was no different. He was awarded a knighthood in 2014 for "services to law and criminal justice" and is therefore entitled to be known as "Sir Keir Starmer".<ref>''[https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/keir-starmer-why-sir-knighted-labour-leadership-contenders-election-1345953 "Why Sir Keir Starmer was knighted: How the Labour leadership contender earned his title – and what he has said about it"]''</ref>
:“My background is not typical of a lawyer or a DPP. My dad was a toolmaker before he retired, so he worked in a factory all his life. My mum was a nurse, and she’s been physically disabled for years. We didn’t have much money, and they were Guardian-reading, Labour-leaning parents. That inevitably created an atmosphere where my thinking developed.”
 
  
Starmer also revealed that his mother was diagnosed with Still’s disease in her teens – a chronic and incurable illness which causes painful swelling to the joints and muscles. Shortly before his election as the MP for Holborn and St Pancras in 2015, Starmer opened up about his experience of his mother’s illness growing up, saying:
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===Jimmy Savile===
:“She is very ill and has been very ill for over 50 years. She’s been on steroids for 50 years to deal with the disease. There have been huge and very damaging side-effects.
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Starmer failed to bring charges against [[Jimmy Savile]] for paedophilia. The decision was made despite the [[Crown Prosecution Service]] receiving substantial evidence of his crimes from witnesses and victims several years before Savile died in 2011.<ref>https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/did-keir-starmer-fail-to-prosecute-jimmy-saville/</ref> All CPS files on Savile were destroyed in October 2010; it is an open question whether Starmer himself made that call, and if so, why.<ref>https://thegrayzone.com/2024/07/06/keir-starmer-scrutiny-protected-savile/</ref>
  
:“She’s been in and out of high-dependency units for as long as I can remember. It was something we grew up with. I certainly have seen the NHS from the inside for decades.
+
After reviewing the Service's handling of the Savile case in [[2012]], Starmer reportedly "came very close to rubber-stamping the original decision not to prosecute," before appointing his own CPS chief legal adviser, [[Alison Levitt]], to conduct the formal inquiry.<ref>https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/dec/21/keir-starmer-not-told-about-dropping-of-jimmy-savile-case-say-sources-dpp-labour</ref>
  
Starmer also cites his mother’s health battles as an inspiration for his choice to become a human rights lawyer and to enter into politics, telling his local paper in 2015:
+
===Julian Assange===
:“I wanted to be a human rights lawyer to change things for individuals who most needed my legal help and assistance.
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In December 2010, as [[Julian Assange]] prepared to appear at London's High Court to hear an appeal against a lower court's decision to release him on bail, Keir Starmer was asked to comment on reports in ''[[The Guardian]]'' newspaper that [[Sweden]] has "not got a view at all on bail". Starmer told [[BBC]] radio:
 +
:"The general position and the nature of the arrangement is absolutely clear. The Crown Prosecution Service acts here as agents of the government seeking extradition, in this case the Swedish government. These proceedings are brought as agents of the Swedish government."
  
:“I became DPP because I wanted to change and improve the way we prosecuted cases. It’s always been a purpose-led route through my career. Doing things because there’s a job to be done.
+
A spokeswoman for the Swedish prosecutor's office, [[Karin Rosander]], told [[AFP]] the decision to oppose bail was "a decision of the British prosecutor and that is what the British prosecutor's office has confirmed to me."<ref>''[https://www.thelocal.se/20101216/30888 "Sweden had 'no say' in Assange bail appeal"]''</ref>
  
:“I think a bit of it comes from the determination of my mother. What I can’t stand is when people walk around a problem and can’t solve it so I have resolved not to do that.
+
According to [[FOIA|Freedom of Information]] searches by the Italian journalist [[Stefania Maurizi]], [[Sweden]] tried to drop the [[Julian Assange|Assange]] case in 2011, but a [[CPS]] official in London told the Swedish prosecutor not to treat it as “just another extradition”.
  
Whilst Starmer’s current financial status clearly means he cannot be considered working class anymore, it is extremely hard to criticise him over his upbringing or question his true motivation for choosing the career path he has.
+
In 2012, the Swedish prosecutor received an email from the [[CPS]]: <i>“Don’t you dare get cold feet!!!”</i> Other [[CPS]] emails were either deleted or redacted. Why? Keir Starmer needs to say why.<ref>''[[Document:Julian Assange Must be Freed, Not Betrayed]]''</ref>
  
===A Blairite?===
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===John Worboys===
Quite simply, no.
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Keir Starmer has also encountered criticism over the CPS’s decision to release the prolific serial rapist, [[John Worboys]], from prison, as well as the decision not to pursue 75 further allegations made against him. However, in 2018, the [[CPS]] issued a statement claiming the Starmer had no role in either of the decisions regarding Worboys.<ref>''[https://www.cps.gov.uk/cps/news/cps-statement-john-worboys "CPS statement on John Worboys"]''</ref>
  
Starmer only became an MP in 2015 – a full 8 years after [[Tony Blair]] resigned as Prime Minister. Furthermore, in 2003 – just 3 days before the [[Iraq War]] began – Starmer penned a ''Guardian'' article severely rebuking Blair and correctly stating that an invasion of Iraq would eventually be deemed illegal. Starmer also marched in protest against the war.
+
===Ian Tomlinson===
 +
[[Ian Tomlinson]] was brutally attacked by police officer [[Simon Harwood]] in 2009. Harwood hit Tomlinson, who was walking with his hands in his pockets in the other direction, across the back of the legs with a baton. Tomlinson was unable to break his fall, causing fatal internal bleeding to his liver shortly afterwards. Fifteen months later, Starmer announced that Harwood would ''not'' be prosecuted. The CPS proceeded a few months later when an inquest jury found that Tomlinson had been unlawfully killed.<ref>https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/04/07/star-a07.html</ref>
  
Whilst Tony Blair effectively capitulated to Thatcherite pro-greed, pro-war policies, Keir Starmer does appear to have consistently opposed them throughout both his legal and political career.
+
===Spycops scandal===
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In 2011, [[DPP]] Keir Starmer was in court to witness the collapse of a trial of environmental activists after the involvement of undercover police officer [[Mark Kennedy]] was revealed. The case began the “[[Spycops scandal]]", which has since exposed the extensive, long-term infiltration of left-wing and environmentalist groups by police agents, who grossly abused the rights of campaigners and perverted the course of justice in countless court cases. The [[CPS]] is suspected of having been closely involved.{{by whom}}
  
Whilst Starmer has not revealed much about his overall economic outlook, he has been quick to urge Labour not to lurch back to the right after the 2020 leadership election.
+
As [[DPP]], Starmer refused to pursue the matter. Referring to an in-house [[CPS]] investigation, he accepted the manifestly untrue:
 +
:“If Sir [[Christopher Rose]] had found systemic problems, then I would quite accept perhaps a retrospective look at all the cases. But he didn’t, he found individual failings.”<ref>''[https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2009/oct/20/nuclear-police-run-covert-network "Secret files reveal covert network run by nuclear police"]''</ref>
  
During his opening leadership pitch, Starmer also highlighted the fact that Labour must continue to oppose the “moral injustice of poverty, inequality, homelessness” whilst “advocating for internationalism and human rights.
+
===Protection of MI5 and MI6===
 +
Under his direction, the CPS refused to prosecute [[MI5]] and [[MI6]] personnel in 2010, 2011 and 2012. The agents were suspected of participating in CIA extraordinary rendition programmes and the torture of detainees in [[Guantanamo]] Bay and [[Afghanistan]].
  
Starmer also took a swipe at [[Tony Blair]] over how far to the right he took the party during his tenure, stating:
+
===Benefits campaign===
:“A Labour party that strays too far from its values, loses. In the end, the Labour party strayed too far from its values between 1997 and 2010.
+
In 2013, after Tory Chancellor [[George Osborne]] launched a gutter-press campaign against “benefits cheats,” Starmer issued guidelines for the CPS allowing those accused of improperly drawing social security to be charged under the Fraud Act. This allowed for sentences of up to 10 years. He also removed the financial threshold on sending cases to Crown Court, meaning even the most trivial “offences” could be punished with long-term jail time.<ref>https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/04/07/star-a07.html</ref>
  
However, his record is not perfect. Starmer was one of the 184 Labour MPs to disregard the overwhelming view of the membership by abstaining on the Tories’ disgraceful Welfare Bill shortly before the 2015 Labour leadership election.
+
===Express trials===
 +
Following the [[London riots in 2012]] and the rubber-stamp sentencing of over 1,000 young people, Starmer praised the efforts to rush defendants through the courts: “For me it was the speed that I think may have played some small part in bringing the situation back under control.” He visited Highbury Magistrates Court in North London in the early hours of the morning to boost the morale of the prosecutors and praise their efficiency.
  
The bill was a horrific piece of Tory legislation which abolished legally binding poverty targets, slashed child tax credits, reduced the amount of housing benefit young people were entitled to, and implemented cuts to welfare payments for disabled people and the terminally ill.
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==Mishcon de Reya job==
 +
In June 2014, Starmer joined the law firm [[Mishcon de Reya]]<ref>https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/jun/27/keir-starmer-failed-consult-watchdog-acoba-new-role-after-leaving-cps-labour-dpp</ref>. The company has received huge fines for facilitating [[money laundering]]<ref>https://www.ft.com/content/842799c6-6c7a-40e4-a9b0-951a181c58ea</ref>, and frequently helps wealthy individuals and powerful corporations abuse the British legal system to "intimidate and destroy" journalists.<ref>https://www.theguardian.com/media/2022/jan/21/oligarchs-use-london-law-firms-to-intimidate-journalists-mps-say</ref> Starmer was forced in July 2017 by then-Labour leader [[Jeremy Corbyn]] to depart his well-remunerated position there, after taking a Shadow Cabinet role. Starmer received over £6,000 for just 24 hours of work at Mishcon de Reya in 2016.<ref>https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7484061/Keir-Starmer-pockets-6-000-15-hours-legal-work-MPs-salary.html</ref>
  
Starmer has never apologised for his decision to abstain on the bill, and even tried to justify it after many of his constituents erupted in anger.
+
=="Chicken Coup"==
 +
[[File:Starmer_resigns.png|300px|right|thumb|Starmer's "Chicken Coup" resignation letter]]
 +
During the infamous so-called “Chicken Coup”, less than a year after the Labour membership had handed [[Jeremy Corbyn]] a massive mandate to lead the party, numerous Labour Shadow Cabinet Ministers instigated co-ordinated resignations from the front bench in a deeply cynical attempt to remove him as leader.
  
Starmer was also slammed by the Green Party’s Natalie Bennett, who said at the time:
+
In his resignation letter dated 27 June 2016, Keir Starmer – who was a Shadow Immigration Minister at the time – essentially claimed that because a lot of other Shadow Ministers had resigned, he decided to resign too. In the opening paragraph of Starmer’s letter, he claims that he initially “respected the mandate” that Labour members had given to [[Jeremy Corbyn]] to lead the party.
:“I think many Holborn and St Pancras constituents, including many who voted for Sir Keir, will be astonished that given his background in human rights, he failed to oppose the cutting of the benefits cap, when even at its current level a High Court judge said it put Britain in breach of its obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Similarly, the bill, in cutting child tax credit for third or later children in a family, is penalising children for being born into circumstances in which they had no choice.
 
  
:“This bill makes significant cuts to the family tax credit many workers rely on to survive in low-wage Britain where so many jobs are insecure and fail to provide the regular and full-time hours that workers want. Sir Keir has failed to oppose a Bill that will make it harder for many already struggling households to put food on the table and keep a roof over their head. I don’t think this is what Labour voters expected when they cast their votes in May.
+
Starmer then uses two different excuses for his decision to disregard the democratic will of Labour members: claiming that the party needed a “louder voice” regarding [[Brexit]], and that Mr Corbyn’s position was “untenable” because so many Shadow Ministers had resigned.
  
===Keir Starmer’s priorities?===
+
In the subsequent 2016 Labour leadership election, Starmer went on to support the astonishingly dour, former [[big pharma]] lobbyist, [[Owen Smith]].
Given his long career in the legal profession, Keir Starmer certainly cannot be accused of being a career politician. Furthermore, the challenges he faced during his early years appear to have instilled in him a core principle against injustice – one which he maintains to this day and which seems to have underpinned his career path from human rights lawyer to a politician seeking change.
 
  
Moreover, just days after being elected to his Holborn and St Pancras constituency in the 2015 General Election, a petition urging Starmer to stand in the leadership election to replace [[Ed Miliband]] garnered several thousand signatures. However, Starmer rejected the calls for him to throw his hat in the ring, stating that whilst he was very “flattered“, he believed Labour needed someone with more “political experience” to take the helm.
+
===Upshot===
 +
During the 2016 "Chicken Coup", the right thing to do would have clearly been to trust the decision of Labour members, rather than an overwhelmingly right-wing and detached [[Parliamentary Labour Party]] (PLP), and support the democratically elected leader of the party. Had the PLP been united, Labour may well have been in a position to gain the few thousands extra votes necessary to have formed a government in the [[UK/2017 General Election]] campaign.
  
Throughout his career, Starmer appears to have a reasonably consistent track record of opposing injustice and standing up for what is right. However, in addition to abstaining on the 2015 Welfare Bill, Starmer does have another extremely large blot on his record.
+
Unfortunately, Starmer’s willingness to disregard clear democratic decisions in favour of what he thinks is right is not an isolated incident, with the Shadow Brexit Secretary becoming the architect of Labour’s decision to change their [[Brexit]] policy from respecting the result in 2017 to supporting a second referendum in 2019 – a policy regarded as the main reason that the party lost huge numbers of seats in their pro-Leave heartlands to the Tories in [[UK/2019 General Election|December’s General Election]].
  
During the infamous so-called “Chicken Coup” – where, less than a year after the Labour membership had handed Jeremy Corbyn a massive mandate to lead the party, numerous Labour Shadow Cabinet Ministers instigated co-ordinated resignations from the front bench in a deeply cynical attempt to remove him as leader.
+
Whilst Labour may still have lost the election had they continued with their 2017 Brexit policy to respect the Brexit vote, they would unquestionably have been far closer to the Conservative Party in terms of votes – with the only genuine question being whether the [[Lib Dems]] would have been able to charge through the middle on their pro-Remain platform.
  
In his resignation letter, Starmer who was a Shadow Immigration Minister at the time essentially claimed that because a lot of other Shadow Minister has resigned, he had decided to resign too:
+
Moreover, at the [[UK/2019 General Election]], the right thing to do – electorally speaking would have been to continue to support the democratic decision of the British people regarding the [[Brexit]] vote. Labour’s decision to support a second referendum is clearly not the only reason for their loss, but it was certainly a huge factor in the sheer scale of it and Starmer was crucial in pushing the party towards it.<ref>''[https://evolvepolitics.com/labour-leadership-election-2020-candidate-profile-keir-starmer/ "Labour Leadership Election 2020 Candidate Profile: Keir Starmer"]''</ref>
  
===Chicken Coup Resignation Letter===
+
==Labour leader==
In the opening paragraph of Starmer’s letter, he claims that he initially “respected the mandate” that Labour members had given to [[Jeremy Corbyn]] to lead the party.
+
[[image:Labour Lockdowns.png|thumb|right|400px|The [[BBC]] reports what [[Keir Starmer]] and the [[Labour Party]] said on 19 July 2021, AKA "[[Freedom Day]]", the day that restrictions in [[England]] were supposedly ended. Instead the introduction of [[vaccine passports]] were announced. This is an example of the [[Official opposition narrative]].]]
  
Starmer then uses two different excuses for his decision to disregard the democratic will of Labour members: claiming that the party needed a “louder voice” regarding [[Brexit]], and that Mr Corbyn’s position was “untenable” because so many Shadow Ministers had resigned.
+
===Israel support===
 +
After the [[October 7]] attacks in [[2023]] which began a new Israel–Hamas war, Starmer expressed support for [[Israel]], condemned [[Hamas]] terrorism, and said, "This action by Hamas does nothing for [[Palestinians]]. And [[Israel]] must always have the right to defend her people."<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20231013002814/https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/uk-labour-leader-starmer-israel-must-always-have-right-defend-itself-2023-10-10/</ref> He also said “Israel has the right” to withhold power and water from [[Palestinian]] civilians. "Obviously, everything should be done within [[international law]]."<ref>https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/sir-keir-starmer-hamas-terrorism-israel-defend-itself/</ref>
  
Starmer then went on to support the astonishingly dour, former big pharma lobbyist, [[Owen Smith]], in the subsequent 2016 Labour leadership election.
+
===Former Israel spy on his social media team===
 +
Sir Keir hired a former Israel spy to work in his social media team. [[Assaf Kaplan]] was hired as a "social media listener", and worked for the infamous [[Unit 8200|8200 cyber unit]] of the Israeli intelligence services. Although Israeli citizens are subject to mandatory conscription into the Israeli army, the duration of national service is only two and a half years. Kaplan served in Israeli intelligence for nearly five years, twice the normal conscription period<ref>https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20210119-uk-labour-leader-starmer-hired-former-israeli-spy-for-social-media-team/</ref>
  
Unfortunately, Starmer’s willingness to disregard clear democratic decisions in favour of what he thinks is right is not an isolated incident, with the Shadow Brexit Secretary becoming the architect of Labour’s decision to change their Brexit policy from respecting the result in 2017 to supporting a second referendum in 2019 – a policy regarded as the main reason that the party lost huge numbers of seats in their pro-Leave heartlands to the Tories in [[UK/2019 General Election|December’s General Election]].
+
===COVID-19===
 +
Starmer has been a weak leader in opposing government policies during [[COVID-19]]. The sole criticism of [[Boris Johnson]] throughout has been; not enough [[lockdowns]], [[vaccines]], [[mask mandates]] etc. In December 2021, Sir Keir insisted that, while he is not "comfortable" with the idea of [[vaccine passports]], he believes they are necessary.<ref>https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/boris-johnson-plan-b-covid-government-prime-minister-b1974483.html</ref>
  
Whilst Labour may still have lost the election had they continued with their 2017 Brexit policy to respect the Brexit vote, they would unquestionably have been far closer to the Conservative Party in terms of votes – with the only genuine question being whether the Lib Dems would have been able to charge through the middle on their pro-Remain platform.
+
On 21 July, he self-isolated for the fourth time.<ref>https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-sir-keir-starmer-self-isolating-after-one-of-his-children-tests-positive-for-coronavirus-12360655</ref>
  
During the 2016 Chicken Coup, the right thing to do would have clearly been to trust the decision of Labour members, rather than an overwhelmingly right-wing and detached Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP), and support the democratically elected leader of the party. Had the PLP been united, Labour may well have been in a position to gain the few thousands extra votes neccesary to have formed a government in the 2017 General Election campaign.
+
===Preferring globalism over national politics===
 +
In January 2023,  Starmer admitted he prefers hobnobbing with the billionaires and their select invitees in the [[World Economic Forum]] in Davos to national politics in London. Asked to choose between Davos and Westminster, he said: "Davos... Because Westminster is too constrained. And, you know, it's closed and we're not having meaning....Once you get out of Westminster, whether it's Davos or anywhere else, you actually engage with people that you can see [yourself] working with in the future." On the seat of British democracy, Sir Keir added: "Westminster is just a tribal shouting place."<ref>https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/1811195/keir-starmer-davos</ref>
  
Moreover, at the [[UK/2019 General Election]], the right thing to do – electorally speaking – would have been to continue to support the democratic decision of the British people regarding the [[Brexit]] vote. Labour’s decision to support a second referendum is clearly not the only reason for their loss, but it was certainly a huge factor in the sheer scale of it – and Starmer was crucial in pushing the party towards it.
+
==Venality==
 +
Keir Starmer has personally accepted just under £43,000 in personal gratuities,<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSRmyDjkNgc</ref> like football tickets, holidays, staying at luxury hotels, getting tickets to go watch the races. This is more money accepted in gratuities than any Labour leader since records began in 1997. By comparison [[Jeremy Corbyn]] during his entire time as Labour leader accepted a single corporate gratuity tickets to Glastonbury where he spoke.<ref name=open/>
  
Keir Starmer is clearly not a careerist, and he is clearly not a Blairite. In fact, he seems like a very decent person and a highly principled man. However, in addition to blots on his record, there are very big questions regarding his political judgement.
+
Starmer took £3,000 worth of tickets to go watch the races from the Arena Racing Company, which runs all of the horse tracks in the UK. In that role it is one of the biggest players in the entire UK [[gambling]] industry. He accepted football tickets from a the construction company Mulalley & Co, which received a large fined for installing  defective cladding on five tower blocks that put the residents of those tower blocks at a serious fire safety. Other "gifts" include a meal for himself and an aide worth £380, as a gift from [[Google]] while he was in Davos at the [[World Economic Forum]], and luxury hotel stays from billionaire [[Matthew Moulding]].<ref name=open>https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/keir-starmer-freebies-junkets-tottenham-hotspur-chelsea-coldplay-adele-google/</ref>
Is Keir Starmer the best choice to be Labour leader?
 
  
If he is elected, Keir Starmer probably won’t be a dreadful Labour leader. He certainly has decent principles, and he has consistently demonstrated a forensic ability to deconstruct and expose the garbage spouted by the Conservative Party during his time as the Shadow Brexit Secretary.
+
In 2024, it was exposed that he accepted £16,000 for clothing and £2,485 for multiple pairs of glasses from [[Lord Alli]]. Starmer had also used Lord Alli’s Covent Garden penthouse, worth £18 million, which he stayed in with his family for a month and a half during the campaign.<ref>https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2024/09/29/starmers-team-used-lord-allis-4m-soho-townhouse/</ref>
  
However, Starmer is also less radical than Jeremy Corbyn – and the lack of new ideas in Starmer’s opening leadership pitch is worrying. Whilst Labour’s manifesto is already chock full of popular policies, Starmer’s personal vision other than simply keeping a lot of Corbyn’s policies whilst focussing on improving the image of the party to the electorate is a complete unknown.
+
==Plus ça change==
 +
On 7 June 2024, in a televised election debate on the [[BBC]], [[Green Party]] co-leader [[Carla Denyer]] mocked Keir Starmer, saying:{{QB|
 +
:“[[Angela Rayner]] is right. Keir Starmer has changed the [[Labour Party]]: he’s changed it into the [[Conservative Party]].”<ref>''[https://twitter.com/exRAF_Al/status/1799207281856270844 “Angela Rayner is right. Keir Starmer has changed the Labour Party: he’s changed it into the Conservative Party”]''</ref>}}
 +
 +
On 4 July 2024, seeking re-election at his [[Holborn and St Pancras]] constituency in the [[UK/General election/2024]], Keir Starmer was faced with challenges from eleven candidates, including pro-[[Palestinian]] activist [[Andrew Feinstein]] who was standing as an Independent.<ref>''[https://skwawkbox.org/2024/02/11/jewish-former-s-african-mp-feinstein-will-stand-against-starmer-in-holborn-st-pancras/ "Jewish former S African MP Feinstein will stand against Starmer in Holborn St Pancras"]''</ref> Starmer retained the seat with 18,884 votes and Feinstein came in second place with 7,312 votes. Starmer’s majority is down significantly from 22,766 in 2019 to 11,572 at this election:{{QB|
 +
*Brick, Nick the Incredible Flying – The Official Monster Raving Loony Party: 162
 +
*Clinton, Charlie – Liberal Democrats: 2,236
 +
*[[Andrew Feinstein|Feinstein, Andrew Josef]] – Independent: 7,312
 +
*Islam, Wais – Independent: 636
 +
*Kumar, Senthil – Independent: 40
 +
*Malik, Mehreen – The [[Conservative Party]] Candidate: 2,776
 +
*Poynton, John Edmund – [[UK Independence Party]]: 75
 +
*Roberts, David – [[Reform UK]]: 2,371
 +
*Scripps, Tom – Socialist Equality Party: 61
 +
*Smith, Bobby Elmo – Independent: 19
 +
*Stansell, David Robert [[Green Party of England and Wales|Green Party]]: 4,030
 +
*Starmer, Keir [[Labour Party]]: 18,884
  
If Starmer is able to dramatically improve the image of the party, and he is then able to implement a lot of Corbyn’s redistributional policies, this would clearly be an extremely good outcome for both the British people, public services, the economy, and the Labour party itself. However, Starmer’s lack of personal political vision also raises questions about his long-term commitment to the current policy direction.
+
The constituency turnout was 54 percent.<ref>''[https://fitzrovianews.com/2024/07/05/starmer-wins-in-holborn-and-st-pancras-with-reduced-majority/ "Starmer wins in Holborn and St Pancras with reduced majority"]''</ref>}}
  
In terms of improving the image of the party, Starmer certainly has far less baggage than Jeremy Corbyn, and his legal career has only really thrown up a few extremely tenous instances that the right-wing media could use against him. He will not be an easy man to smear – but his pro-EU history and his ardent support for a second referendum will almost certainly be used by the right-wing media to try and convince the public that they cannot trust Labour to respect Brexit after it has happened.
+
==By-election performance==
 +
[[File:Starmer_by-elections.png|400px|right|thumb|Keir Starmer's poor performance in eight by-elections]]
  
[[Jeremy Corbyn]] was clearly far from perfect, but so is Keir Starmer. Politics is a huge balancing act, and [[Brexit]] was a crystal clear example that doing the right thing economically is sometimes not the best thing to do electorally. Leaders must be able to balance both identity and the economy in order to win power – but, with [[Brexit]] hopefully soon to be off the public agenda, the new Labour leader will be able to focus entirely on the party’s current hugely popular domestic platform.
+
On 4 April 2020, following the [[2020 Labour Party leadership contest]],<ref>''[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-51055663 "Labour leadership: Phillips and Nandy secure nominations"]''</ref> Sir Keir Starmer was elected [[Leader of the Labour Party]] to succeed [[Jeremy Corbyn]].<ref>''[https://twitter.com/UKLabour/status/1246375178684239874 "Congratulations to @Keir_Starmer, the new Leader of the Labour Party!"]''</ref> On 17 April 2020, it was revealed that Starmer had received a £50,000 donation from pro-[[Israel lobby]]ist [[Trevor Chinn]] – information which was not disclosed until after polls had closed in the [[2020 Labour Party leadership contest|leadership election]].<ref>''[https://www.thecanary.co/exclusive/2020/04/17/keir-starmer-received-50000-donation-from-pro-israel-lobbyist-in-leadership-bid/ "Keir Starmer received £50,000 donation from pro-Israel lobbyist in leadership bid"]''</ref>
  
With the Tories now entirely out of ideas on the domestic front – and without [[Brexit]] to distract the electorate and create a divisive culture war – the Labour Party will soon be clear to focus all their attention on ideas which will actually benefit people’s lives.
+
Following Labour's crushing defeat in the [[2021 Hartlepool by-election]], [[Max Blumenthal]] tweeted on 7 May 2021:{{QB|Keir Starmer did not become leader to help [[Labour Party|Labour]] win, but to restore [[establishment]] control over the party and vanquish the heretics that dared defy its agenda. For the forces he truly represents, the project has been a smashing success.<ref>''[https://twitter.com/CraigMurrayOrg/status/1390924195790561280 "Keir Starmer did not become leader to help Labour win, but to restore establishment control over the party"]''</ref>}}
  
Should the new Labour leader be Keir Starmer, and should he resist the temptation to reopen the EU debate and does indeed maintain the vast majority of Labour’s domestic policies, it is entirely possible that Labour could gain power with him at the helm.
+
In November 2021, he told the [[BBC]] that he hadn't spoken to Corbyn in over a year.<ref>https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-59422675</ref> He said [[Tony Blair]]'s knighthood was well deserved.<ref>https://labourlist.org/2022/01/he-deserves-the-honour-keir-starmer-welcomes-knighthood-for-tony-blair/</ref> In July 2023, he was nicknamed "[[Sir Kid Starver]]" over Labour plans to keep the [[Tories]]' two-child benefit cap.<ref>''[https://www.independent.co.uk/tv/news/labour-keir-starmer-benefits-nickname-b2377242.html "Keir Starmer nicknamed ‘Sir Kid Starver’ over Labour plans to keep two-child benefit cap"]''</ref>
  
However, should a Tory Brexit create economic turmoil, Labour will almost certainly be subject to a relentless campaign from pro-EU organisations to support the prospect of rejoining. Will Starmer – who has always been unashamedly in favour of Britain being a member of the EU – be able to resist the urge to reopen the debate? It would – and still is – clearly be the right thing to do economically, but it would once again expose the party to significant electoral toxicity.
+
Of eight by-elections held in [[England]] under Keir Starmer's [[Leader of the Labour Party|leadership of the Labour Party]], two were won by [[Boris Johnson]]'s Tories, three won by the [[Lib Dems]] overturning huge [[Tory]] majorities and three unconvincing wins in traditional Labour seats with record low turnout figures/vote numbers:
 +
* [[2021 Hartlepool by-election]]: It’s shameful Labour losing this seat, there is no excuse, Sir Keir Starmer’s poor choice of candidate, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Williams_(Labour_politician) Paul Williams,] was a recipe for failure. The [[Labour Party]] parachuted in an [https://labourheartlands.com/a-recipe-for-failure-labour-party-parachuted-in-arch-remainer-to-brexit-land-by-election-who-now-apologises-after-tory-milf-tweet-emerges/ ‘Arch-Remainer’] to stand in an overwhelmingly Labour leave voting seat and lost dramatically, who would have guessed? Well actually everyone.
 +
* [[2021 Chesham and Amersham by-election]]: [[Sarah Green]], 39, the [[Liberal Democrats]]’ candidate, secured 21,517 votes, giving her an 8,028 majority over the second-placed Tories. Labour lost its deposit securing just 622 votes. This was the lowest Labour by-election percentage in history.
 +
* [[2021 Batley and Spen by-election]]: Labour candidate [[Kim Leadbeater]], sister of murdered MP [[Jo Cox]], was elected with 13,296 votes. Conservative candidate [[Ryan Stephenson]] came second with 12,973 votes and former Labour and Respect MP [[George Galloway]] came third with 8,264 votes. The Labour majority was just 323 votes in this [[Red Wall]] seat, which has returned Labour MPs since 1997.
 +
* [[2021 Old Bexley and Sidcup by-election]]: On a 33.5% turnout, the lowest ever in the constituency, the [[Conservative Party]] candidate Louie French was elected with 11,189 votes (51.5%) a majority of 4,478 over Labour's Daniel Francis, who came second with 6,711 votes (30.9%).
 +
* [[2021 North Shropshire by-election]]: Won by [[Liberal Democrats]] [[Helen Morgan]] with 17,957 votes (47.2%), [[Conservative Party]] Neil Shastri-Hurst came second with 12,032 votes (31.6%) and [[Labour Party|Labour]]'s Ben Wood came a distant third with 3,686 votes (9.7%).
 +
* 2022 Birmingham Erdington by-election: The winner was Paulette Hamilton, standing for [[Labour]], who got 55.5% of the votes on a turnout of 27% of the electorate, the lowest ever in the constituency.
 +
* [[2022 Tiverton and Honiton by-election]]: The by-election was won by [[Richard Foord]] of the [[Liberal Democrats]] with 22,537 votes, a majority of 6,144 over the [[Tory]] Helen Hurford who received 16,393 votes. [[Labour]]'s Liz Pole, with just 1,562 votes, lost her deposit.
 +
* [[2022 Wakefield by-election]]: Won by [[Simon Lightwood]] of the [[Labour Party]] with 13,166 votes, the fewest since the 1931 General Election when Labour received 11,774 votes.
 +
* [[2023 West Lancashire by-election]]: Won by [[Labour]]'s [[Ashley Dalton]]
 +
* [[2023 Selby and Ainsty by-election]]: Won by [[Labour]]'s [[Keir Mather]]
  
Whilst Starmer used his opening leadership pitch to rule out supporting any type of “Rejoin” campaign, it must be noted that it took him just a year to change his mind about respecting the will of the Labour membership over Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership when he wrongly believed opinion had changed significantly. It also took Starmer just over a year to change his mind about respecting the will of the British people over Brexit when he believed opinion had changed significantly. If the economy suffers even marginally after Britain does finally leave the EU next year, all the evidence indicates that Starmer will again disavow his latest committment and throw Labour’s support behind an irrevocably toxic Rejoin campaign.
+
{{SMWDocs}}
  
As much as I like and respect Keir Starmer, reopening the [[Brexit]] debate so soon – under any circumstances – will ensure Labour remain out of power.
 
 
Unfortunately, given his record for reneging on precisely these kind of commitments, I simply don’t trust him to live up to his latest promise.<ref>''[https://evolvepolitics.com/labour-leadership-election-2020-candidate-profile-keir-starmer/ "Labour Leadership Election 2020 Candidate Profile: Keir Starmer"]''</ref>
 
{{SMWDocs}}
 
 
==References==
 
==References==
 
{{reflist}}
 
{{reflist}}

Latest revision as of 22:36, 30 September 2024

Person.png Sir Keir Starmer   Powerbase Twitter WebsiteRdf-entity.pngRdf-icon.png
(lawyer, politician, deep state operative?, puppet leader)
Starmer PM.jpg
BornKeir Rodney Starmer
2 September 1962
London, England
NationalityUK
Alma materUniversity of Leeds, St Edmund Hall (Oxford)
Children2
SpouseVictoria Alexander
Member ofLabour Friends of Israel, Trilateral Commission
InterestsLabour Friends of Israel
PartyLabour
A suspected deep state operative, who as Director of Public Prosecutions failed to prosecute Jimmy Savile but pressed on with charges against Julian Assange.

Employment.png UK/Prime Minister Wikipedia-icon.png

In office
5 July 2024 - Present
Preceded byRishi Sunak

Employment.png UK/Leader of the Opposition Wikipedia-icon.png

In office
4 April 2020 - 4 July 2024
Preceded byJeremy Corbyn

Employment.png Leader of the Labour Party

In office
4 April 2020 - Present
Preceded byJeremy Corbyn

Employment.png Director of Public Prosecutions Wikipedia-icon.png

In office
1 November 2008 - 1 November 2013
Preceded byKen Macdonald
Succeeded byAlison Saunders

Sir Keir Starmer is a British Labour Party politician who succeeded Rishi Sunak as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom following the UK/General election/2024.[1]

On 5 July 2024, Craig Murray wrote:

"Millions fewer people turned out to make Keir Starmer Prime Minister than turned out to attempt the same for Jeremy Corbyn. That is the most important fact of this election, and the one the mainstream media works hardest to hide.
"I don’t think any Prime Minister has ever come to power with less popular enthusiasm than Keir Starmer."[2]

From law to politics

Keir Starmer is a former Director of Public Prosecutions and Head of the Crown Prosecution Service, where he was central in making sure the case against Julian Assange continued.

Aged 53, Keir Starmer was elected Labour Party Member of Parliament for Holborn and St Pancras constituency at the 2015 General Election, and on 6 October 2016 he was appointed Shadow Brexit Secretary by Jeremy Corbyn[3] whom he later helped to oust, taking over as Labour leader.

On 5 June 2020, Matt Kennard posed five questions for him to answer:

The public deserves answers about the UK’s new opposition leader and his relationship with the British national security establishment, including the MI5 and the Times newspaper, his former role in the Julian Assange case and his membership in the intelligence-linked Trilateral Commission.[4]

Background

Keir Starmer was born in 1962 in Southwark, London. His father, Rodney Starmer, was a toolmaker, and his mother, Josephine Starmer (née Baker), was a nurse. His parents were both staunch Labour supporters, and they named Keir – their second son – after the first leader of the Labour Party, Keir Hardie. In contrast to his three siblings who all went the the local Comprehensive school, Starmer passed his 11-plus exam and gained entry into Reigate Grammar school. Starmer then studied law at Leeds University, where he graduated with a first-class Bachelor of Laws (LLB) in 1985, before winning a place at Oxford where he graduated with a Bachelor of Civic Law (BCL) in 1986.

Toolmaker father

Keir Starmer with his parents, Rodney and Josephine, at his 2007 wedding to wife Victoria
Rodney Starmer: Keir spent six months before university working "in my factory operating a production machine"

In March 2018, Starmer told the BBC’s Nick Robinson that his father Rodney "was a toolmaker working in a factory and working every hour, basically." The following year, he told the BBC Radio 4's Today programme that his father "worked in a factory" as a toolmaker. The inference that listeners might have drawn is that Rodney Starmer was employed by somebody else. For reasons best known to himself, Keir Starmer did not use any of these opportunities to explain that his father, in fact, ran his own business, the Oxted Tool Company, as a sole trader. Reflecting on his son’s knighthood in 2014, Rodney Starmer wrote in Oxted’s theatre newsletter that his son had spent six months before university working "in my factory operating a production machine." Perhaps it would be most accurate to say that Starmer’s background was neither working class nor 'posh', as some commentators have attempted to prove, but was instead closer to what sociologists would once have called petit bourgeois. This French term is akin to lower-middle class.[5]

Line of gamekeepers

Gamekeeper grandfather Herbert Starmer was a Tory and lived in Marden Castle. Gamekeepers are traditionally considered obsequious minions to the lords of the manor[6]

On 5 June 2024, Ricky Tomlinson posted on X:

Keir Starmer keeps on mentioning his dad (Rodney) was a toolmaker but never mentions that his grandfather (Herbert) was a Tory who lived in Marden Castle or that his great-uncle was Chairman of the Godstone Conservative Association.[7]

[8]

On 27 May 2024, The Telegraph reported that Keir Starmer comes from a line of gamekeepers, according to a 1977 pamphlet written by his grandfather Herbert for the Bourne Society:

Herbert Starmer remembered his rural upbringing fondly – how their cottage would be used by the shoot to hide from the rain and his gamekeeper father left with a gun slung under his arm.
Some of his earliest memories, he told a local history pamphlet, were catching rabbits and of the tame fox living in the family’s shed.
The quintessential image of a rural life is a far cry from that of his grandson – the knighted human rights barrister who is vying to become the country’s next prime minister.
In the interview, a copy of which has been obtained by The Telegraph, Herbert Starmer explains how his father (Gustavus), his seven uncles, and his grandfather were all gamekeepers.[9]

Marriage

Starmer met Victoria Alexander, then a solicitor, in the early 2000s while he was a senior barrister with Doughty Street Chambers, becoming engaged in 2004 and married on 6 May 2007.[10] The couple have two children, a son, who was born a year after their wedding, and a daughter, born two years after that. Both are being brought up in the Jewish faith of their mother.[11][12] The couple was "set to bring Shabbat to Downing Street,"[13] Starmer suggesting he would be off the clock by 6pm on Fridays for the religious celebration - despite being an atheist himself.[14]

Victoria Alexander Starmer worked for the law firm Hodge, Jones & Allen. Henry and Margaret Hodge were instrumental in the creation of New Labour, i.e. refashioning Labour as a Third Way party. Margaret and Henry Hodge had also previously operated at the epicentre of the Islington Council child abuse scandal.[15][16]

Career

A year after graduating from St Edmund Hall (Oxford), Starmer became a Barrister at the Middle Temple. He was then appointed as a member of the Queen’s Counsel (QC) in 2002, and moved to Doughty Street Chambers the following year.

Starmer's legal work primarily consisted of - noticeably unthreatening for the establishment - human rights issues, with one of his most notable successes being the so-called “McLibel” case where he assisted two environmental activists, Helen Steel and David Morris, in a highly contentious case brought against them by the US fast-food giants, McDonald's. McDonald's had accused Steel and Morris of libel after they produced and publicised a factsheet which contained numerous claims that were highly critical of the company's ethics and practices. Both were refused legal aid in order to defend themselves, but received substantial pro-bono assistance from a number of lawyers, including Starmer.

During the trial, McDonald’s initially argued that all the claims in Steel and Morris’s pamplet were false, but, after almost ten years of legal wranglings, a number of the claims in the document were eventually proved to be true – including the claims that McDonalds did “exploit children“, that they were “culpably responsible” for unnecessary cruelty to animals, and that the company were “antipathetic” to the unionisation of workers and helped to "depress wages in the catering trade".

In addition to his role in the McLibel case, Starmer undertook substantial legal work challenging the death penalty in the Caribbean and Africa, and he also worked as a human rights advisor to the Policing Board in Northern Ireland.

Following years of successful legal work in the field of human rights, and after being named QC of the Year in 2007, Starmer was named as the new Head of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in 2008.[17][18]

Director of Public Prosecutions

During his role as Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) (2008 to 2013), Keir Starmer oversaw the prosecution and conviction of a number of MPs and Lords who abused their taxpayer-funded parliamentary expenses, and the successful retrial of the killers of Stephen Lawrence.

All of Keir Starmer's predecessors as DPP received knighthoods for the role, and he was no different. He was awarded a knighthood in 2014 for "services to law and criminal justice" and is therefore entitled to be known as "Sir Keir Starmer".[19]

Jimmy Savile

Starmer failed to bring charges against Jimmy Savile for paedophilia. The decision was made despite the Crown Prosecution Service receiving substantial evidence of his crimes from witnesses and victims several years before Savile died in 2011.[20] All CPS files on Savile were destroyed in October 2010; it is an open question whether Starmer himself made that call, and if so, why.[21]

After reviewing the Service's handling of the Savile case in 2012, Starmer reportedly "came very close to rubber-stamping the original decision not to prosecute," before appointing his own CPS chief legal adviser, Alison Levitt, to conduct the formal inquiry.[22]

Julian Assange

In December 2010, as Julian Assange prepared to appear at London's High Court to hear an appeal against a lower court's decision to release him on bail, Keir Starmer was asked to comment on reports in The Guardian newspaper that Sweden has "not got a view at all on bail". Starmer told BBC radio:

"The general position and the nature of the arrangement is absolutely clear. The Crown Prosecution Service acts here as agents of the government seeking extradition, in this case the Swedish government. These proceedings are brought as agents of the Swedish government."

A spokeswoman for the Swedish prosecutor's office, Karin Rosander, told AFP the decision to oppose bail was "a decision of the British prosecutor and that is what the British prosecutor's office has confirmed to me."[23]

According to Freedom of Information searches by the Italian journalist Stefania Maurizi, Sweden tried to drop the Assange case in 2011, but a CPS official in London told the Swedish prosecutor not to treat it as “just another extradition”.

In 2012, the Swedish prosecutor received an email from the CPS: “Don’t you dare get cold feet!!!” Other CPS emails were either deleted or redacted. Why? Keir Starmer needs to say why.[24]

John Worboys

Keir Starmer has also encountered criticism over the CPS’s decision to release the prolific serial rapist, John Worboys, from prison, as well as the decision not to pursue 75 further allegations made against him. However, in 2018, the CPS issued a statement claiming the Starmer had no role in either of the decisions regarding Worboys.[25]

Ian Tomlinson

Ian Tomlinson was brutally attacked by police officer Simon Harwood in 2009. Harwood hit Tomlinson, who was walking with his hands in his pockets in the other direction, across the back of the legs with a baton. Tomlinson was unable to break his fall, causing fatal internal bleeding to his liver shortly afterwards. Fifteen months later, Starmer announced that Harwood would not be prosecuted. The CPS proceeded a few months later when an inquest jury found that Tomlinson had been unlawfully killed.[26]

Spycops scandal

In 2011, DPP Keir Starmer was in court to witness the collapse of a trial of environmental activists after the involvement of undercover police officer Mark Kennedy was revealed. The case began the “Spycops scandal", which has since exposed the extensive, long-term infiltration of left-wing and environmentalist groups by police agents, who grossly abused the rights of campaigners and perverted the course of justice in countless court cases. The CPS is suspected of having been closely involved.[By whom?]

As DPP, Starmer refused to pursue the matter. Referring to an in-house CPS investigation, he accepted the manifestly untrue:

“If Sir Christopher Rose had found systemic problems, then I would quite accept perhaps a retrospective look at all the cases. But he didn’t, he found individual failings.”[27]

Protection of MI5 and MI6

Under his direction, the CPS refused to prosecute MI5 and MI6 personnel in 2010, 2011 and 2012. The agents were suspected of participating in CIA extraordinary rendition programmes and the torture of detainees in Guantanamo Bay and Afghanistan.

Benefits campaign

In 2013, after Tory Chancellor George Osborne launched a gutter-press campaign against “benefits cheats,” Starmer issued guidelines for the CPS allowing those accused of improperly drawing social security to be charged under the Fraud Act. This allowed for sentences of up to 10 years. He also removed the financial threshold on sending cases to Crown Court, meaning even the most trivial “offences” could be punished with long-term jail time.[28]

Express trials

Following the London riots in 2012 and the rubber-stamp sentencing of over 1,000 young people, Starmer praised the efforts to rush defendants through the courts: “For me it was the speed that I think may have played some small part in bringing the situation back under control.” He visited Highbury Magistrates Court in North London in the early hours of the morning to boost the morale of the prosecutors and praise their efficiency.

Mishcon de Reya job

In June 2014, Starmer joined the law firm Mishcon de Reya[29]. The company has received huge fines for facilitating money laundering[30], and frequently helps wealthy individuals and powerful corporations abuse the British legal system to "intimidate and destroy" journalists.[31] Starmer was forced in July 2017 by then-Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn to depart his well-remunerated position there, after taking a Shadow Cabinet role. Starmer received over £6,000 for just 24 hours of work at Mishcon de Reya in 2016.[32]

"Chicken Coup"

Starmer's "Chicken Coup" resignation letter

During the infamous so-called “Chicken Coup”, less than a year after the Labour membership had handed Jeremy Corbyn a massive mandate to lead the party, numerous Labour Shadow Cabinet Ministers instigated co-ordinated resignations from the front bench in a deeply cynical attempt to remove him as leader.

In his resignation letter dated 27 June 2016, Keir Starmer – who was a Shadow Immigration Minister at the time – essentially claimed that because a lot of other Shadow Ministers had resigned, he decided to resign too. In the opening paragraph of Starmer’s letter, he claims that he initially “respected the mandate” that Labour members had given to Jeremy Corbyn to lead the party.

Starmer then uses two different excuses for his decision to disregard the democratic will of Labour members: claiming that the party needed a “louder voice” regarding Brexit, and that Mr Corbyn’s position was “untenable” because so many Shadow Ministers had resigned.

In the subsequent 2016 Labour leadership election, Starmer went on to support the astonishingly dour, former big pharma lobbyist, Owen Smith.

Upshot

During the 2016 "Chicken Coup", the right thing to do would have clearly been to trust the decision of Labour members, rather than an overwhelmingly right-wing and detached Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP), and support the democratically elected leader of the party. Had the PLP been united, Labour may well have been in a position to gain the few thousands extra votes necessary to have formed a government in the UK/2017 General Election campaign.

Unfortunately, Starmer’s willingness to disregard clear democratic decisions in favour of what he thinks is right is not an isolated incident, with the Shadow Brexit Secretary becoming the architect of Labour’s decision to change their Brexit policy from respecting the result in 2017 to supporting a second referendum in 2019 – a policy regarded as the main reason that the party lost huge numbers of seats in their pro-Leave heartlands to the Tories in December’s General Election.

Whilst Labour may still have lost the election had they continued with their 2017 Brexit policy to respect the Brexit vote, they would unquestionably have been far closer to the Conservative Party in terms of votes – with the only genuine question being whether the Lib Dems would have been able to charge through the middle on their pro-Remain platform.

Moreover, at the UK/2019 General Election, the right thing to do – electorally speaking – would have been to continue to support the democratic decision of the British people regarding the Brexit vote. Labour’s decision to support a second referendum is clearly not the only reason for their loss, but it was certainly a huge factor in the sheer scale of it – and Starmer was crucial in pushing the party towards it.[33]

Labour leader

The BBC reports what Keir Starmer and the Labour Party said on 19 July 2021, AKA "Freedom Day", the day that restrictions in England were supposedly ended. Instead the introduction of vaccine passports were announced. This is an example of the Official opposition narrative.

Israel support

After the October 7 attacks in 2023 which began a new Israel–Hamas war, Starmer expressed support for Israel, condemned Hamas terrorism, and said, "This action by Hamas does nothing for Palestinians. And Israel must always have the right to defend her people."[34] He also said “Israel has the right” to withhold power and water from Palestinian civilians. "Obviously, everything should be done within international law."[35]

Former Israel spy on his social media team

Sir Keir hired a former Israel spy to work in his social media team. Assaf Kaplan was hired as a "social media listener", and worked for the infamous 8200 cyber unit of the Israeli intelligence services. Although Israeli citizens are subject to mandatory conscription into the Israeli army, the duration of national service is only two and a half years. Kaplan served in Israeli intelligence for nearly five years, twice the normal conscription period[36]

COVID-19

Starmer has been a weak leader in opposing government policies during COVID-19. The sole criticism of Boris Johnson throughout has been; not enough lockdowns, vaccines, mask mandates etc. In December 2021, Sir Keir insisted that, while he is not "comfortable" with the idea of vaccine passports, he believes they are necessary.[37]

On 21 July, he self-isolated for the fourth time.[38]

Preferring globalism over national politics

In January 2023, Starmer admitted he prefers hobnobbing with the billionaires and their select invitees in the World Economic Forum in Davos to national politics in London. Asked to choose between Davos and Westminster, he said: "Davos... Because Westminster is too constrained. And, you know, it's closed and we're not having meaning....Once you get out of Westminster, whether it's Davos or anywhere else, you actually engage with people that you can see [yourself] working with in the future." On the seat of British democracy, Sir Keir added: "Westminster is just a tribal shouting place."[39]

Venality

Keir Starmer has personally accepted just under £43,000 in personal gratuities,[40] like football tickets, holidays, staying at luxury hotels, getting tickets to go watch the races. This is more money accepted in gratuities than any Labour leader since records began in 1997. By comparison Jeremy Corbyn during his entire time as Labour leader accepted a single corporate gratuity tickets to Glastonbury where he spoke.[41]

Starmer took £3,000 worth of tickets to go watch the races from the Arena Racing Company, which runs all of the horse tracks in the UK. In that role it is one of the biggest players in the entire UK gambling industry. He accepted football tickets from a the construction company Mulalley & Co, which received a large fined for installing defective cladding on five tower blocks that put the residents of those tower blocks at a serious fire safety. Other "gifts" include a meal for himself and an aide worth £380, as a gift from Google while he was in Davos at the World Economic Forum, and luxury hotel stays from billionaire Matthew Moulding.[41]

In 2024, it was exposed that he accepted £16,000 for clothing and £2,485 for multiple pairs of glasses from Lord Alli. Starmer had also used Lord Alli’s Covent Garden penthouse, worth £18 million, which he stayed in with his family for a month and a half during the campaign.[42]

Plus ça change

On 7 June 2024, in a televised election debate on the BBC, Green Party co-leader Carla Denyer mocked Keir Starmer, saying:

Angela Rayner is right. Keir Starmer has changed the Labour Party: he’s changed it into the Conservative Party.”[43]

On 4 July 2024, seeking re-election at his Holborn and St Pancras constituency in the UK/General election/2024, Keir Starmer was faced with challenges from eleven candidates, including pro-Palestinian activist Andrew Feinstein who was standing as an Independent.[44] Starmer retained the seat with 18,884 votes and Feinstein came in second place with 7,312 votes. Starmer’s majority is down significantly from 22,766 in 2019 to 11,572 at this election:

  • Brick, Nick the Incredible Flying – The Official Monster Raving Loony Party: 162
  • Clinton, Charlie – Liberal Democrats: 2,236
  • Feinstein, Andrew Josef – Independent: 7,312
  • Islam, Wais – Independent: 636
  • Kumar, Senthil – Independent: 40
  • Malik, Mehreen – The Conservative Party Candidate: 2,776
  • Poynton, John Edmund – UK Independence Party: 75
  • Roberts, David – Reform UK: 2,371
  • Scripps, Tom – Socialist Equality Party: 61
  • Smith, Bobby Elmo – Independent: 19
  • Stansell, David Robert – Green Party: 4,030
  • Starmer, Keir – Labour Party: 18,884

The constituency turnout was 54 percent.[45]

By-election performance

Keir Starmer's poor performance in eight by-elections

On 4 April 2020, following the 2020 Labour Party leadership contest,[46] Sir Keir Starmer was elected Leader of the Labour Party to succeed Jeremy Corbyn.[47] On 17 April 2020, it was revealed that Starmer had received a £50,000 donation from pro-Israel lobbyist Trevor Chinn – information which was not disclosed until after polls had closed in the leadership election.[48]

Following Labour's crushing defeat in the 2021 Hartlepool by-election, Max Blumenthal tweeted on 7 May 2021:

Keir Starmer did not become leader to help Labour win, but to restore establishment control over the party and vanquish the heretics that dared defy its agenda. For the forces he truly represents, the project has been a smashing success.[49]

In November 2021, he told the BBC that he hadn't spoken to Corbyn in over a year.[50] He said Tony Blair's knighthood was well deserved.[51] In July 2023, he was nicknamed "Sir Kid Starver" over Labour plans to keep the Tories' two-child benefit cap.[52]

Of eight by-elections held in England under Keir Starmer's leadership of the Labour Party, two were won by Boris Johnson's Tories, three won by the Lib Dems overturning huge Tory majorities and three unconvincing wins in traditional Labour seats with record low turnout figures/vote numbers:


 

Appointments by Keir Starmer

AppointeeJobAppointedEnd
Jon AshworthShadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care7 October 201629 November 2021
Jon AshworthShadow Paymaster General.4 September 20235 July 2024
Jon AshworthShadow Work and Pensions Secretary29 November 20214 September 2023
Anneliese DoddsShadow Chancellor of the Exchequer5 April 20209 May 2021
Anneliese DoddsShadow Secretary of State for Women and Equalities21 September 2021
Anneliese DoddsChair of the Labour Party9 May 2021
Richard HermerAttorney General for England and Wales5 July 2024
Richard HermerAdvocate General for Northern Ireland5 July 2024
Liz KendallShadow Work and Pensions Secretary4 September 2023
David LammyShadow Foreign Secretary29 November 20215 July 2024
David LammyUK/Foreign Secretary5 July 2024
Lucy PowellShadow Secretary of State for Housing9 May 202129 November 2021
Lucy PowellShadow Secretary of State for Culture Media and Sport29 November 2021
Ellie ReevesShadow Minister for Prisons and Probation4 December 2021
Ellie ReevesShadow Solicitor General9 April 20204 December 2021
Rachel ReevesChancellor of the Exchequer5 July 2024
Rachel ReevesShadow Chancellor of the Exchequer9 May 20215 July 2024
Rachel ReevesShadow Minister for the Cabinet Office5 April 20209 May 2021
Jo StevensShadow Secretary of State for Wales29 November 2021
Jo StevensShadow Secretary of State for Culture Media and Sport6 April 202029 November 2021
Wes StreetingSecretary of State for Health5 July 2024

 

Events Participated in

EventStartEndLocation(s)Description
Munich Security Conference/202416 February 202418 February 2024Germany
Munich
Bavaria
Annual conference of mid-level functionaries from the military-industrial complex - politicians, propagandists and lobbyists - in their own bubble, far from the concerns of their subjects
UK/Parliament/Voted YES to vaccine passports in 2021UK/House of CommonsThese members of the UK Parliament voted YES to the introduction of a "vaccine" passport in 2021
WEF/Annual Meeting/202316 January 202320 January 2023World Economic Forum
Switzerland
The theme of the meeting was "Cooperation in a Fragmented World"

 

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Document:The EHRC’s report into Labour antisemitism is the real ‘political interference’blog post7 November 2020Jonathan CookIt is instructive to compare the certainty with which the EHRC treats Councillor Pam Bromley’s ambiguous remarks as irrefutable proof of antisemitism in Labour with its complete disregard for unmistakably antisemitic comments from Boris Johnson, the man actually running the country. That lack of concern is shared, of course, by the establishment media and Jewish leadership organisations.
Document:The Forde Report and the Labour Rightblog post24 July 2022Craig MurrayAbout a third of the mass membership that Corbyn brought into the Labour Party has now left. Starmer, having lied his way through his leadership election, has now positioned the party very squarely back as Blairite and Tory Lite. There is therefore a very real argument that the Forde Report simply does not matter.
Document:The Notional Health ServiceWikispooks Page17 October 2024Craig Murray"Today is my 66th birthday, so I am hoping that you will forgive an article that is at core the anecdotal ramblings of an old man. Sixty years ago or so, when my siblings or I were sick enough to be in bed, my mother would phone the surgery and the GP would come to our home to see us. This was perfectly normal. It is probably difficult for Generation Z to believe this really used to happen."
Document:The Rejection of Starmerismblog post5 July 2024Craig Murray"I don’t think any Prime Minister has ever come to power with less popular enthusiasm than Keir Starmer."
Document:The Zombie ApocalypseArticle4 December 2021Gordon LiddleAnd then to look at the election of Sir Rodney Woodentop and one has to ask oneself:
"Do I want him as a PM, who panders to the status quo to be elected, in order to allow the status quo to continue?"
Document:The arrest of journalist Richard Medhurst and the fight to defend democratic rightsArticle27 August 2024Robert StevensNow, in a move that would have been agreed to by PM Keir Starmer and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, Labour has pioneered the use of an amendment to the Terrorism Act passed by the Tories to once again attempt to silence and criminalise a journalist and political activist. The same course is being pursued by governments throughout the world.
Document:The attack on Jeremy Corbyn is baseless – there is nothing to support it in the EHRC reportArticle29 October 2020Chris NinehamJeremy Corbyn has a record of opposing antisemitism and all forms of racism that are second to none. It was in fact precisely his campaigning and principled approach to politics that got him elected as leader of the party in the first place.
Document:The conspiracy of lies about Corbyn that unites Sunak and StarmerArticle8 November 2022Peter ObornePrime Minister Rishi Sunak's abuse of his high office to smear Corbyn proves that he means to employ the same deceitful methods as his disgraced predecessor, Boris Johnson.
Document:There is no future for Labour in bureaucratic centrismArticle11 November 2020Ian LaveryWhilst many in the media and party establishments are keen to turn back the clock to the bureaucratic centrism, progressives energised on both sides of the Atlantic, whether by Corbyn or Sanders, will define our future politics.
Document:UK Labour party teeters on brink of civil war over antisemitismArticle27 July 2020Jonathan CookLabour Party member Mark Howell is suing former General Secretary Iain McNicol for “breach of contract” and is demanding that those named in the leaked report be expelled from the party (see "Mark Howell for Justice": https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/mark-howell-for-justice/).
Document:What could go wrong for Keir Starmer? A lot actually, Laura Kuenssberg writesArticle11 May 2024Laura KuenssbergFollowing the May 2024 local elections Keir Starmer looks highly likely to be the next Prime Minister, but his future it is in doubt.
Document:Whatever happened to ‘due process’?Article21 November 2020Hilary WiseStarmer’s reaction suggests he will continue to pursue a course which he somehow sees as politically expedient. History tells us it risks leading the party into the most dangerous kind of authoritarianism.
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References

  1. "Twelve charts that show how Labour won by a landslide"
  2. Document:The Rejection of Starmerism
  3. "Appointed Shadow Brexit Secretary by Jeremy Corbyn"
  4. "Five questions for new Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer about his UK and US national security establishment links"
  5. "Keir Starmer: ‘My Dad Was a Toolmaker’ and Other Little Grifts"
  6. https://www.edwardianpromenade.com/occupations/the-edwardian-gamekeeper/
  7. Keir Starmer keeps on mentioning his dad was a toolmaker"
  8. "Revealed: Sir Keir's family castle! The Labour leader talked about rural poverty in his childhood. He didn't mention that his grandfather lived in Marden Castle - and his great-uncle was chairman of the Godstone Conservative Association"
  9. "Keir Starmer should protect the countryside – he comes from a line of gamekeepers"
  10. https://web.archive.org/web/20240702115345/https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/victoria-starmer-solicitor-keir-wife-first-lady-b1164846.html
  11. https://web.archive.org/web/20220925100146/http://thejc.com/news/uk/starmer-our-kids-are-being-brought-up-to-know-their-jewish-backgrounds-1.508720
  12. https://web.archive.org/web/20240527130423/https://graziadaily.co.uk/life/in-the-news/lady-victoria-starmer/
  13. https://www.jpost.com/international/article-809065
  14. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13605209/sir-keir-starmer-wife-victoria-jewish-father-downing-street.html
  15. https://aanirfan.blogspot.com/2024/06/victoria-starmer-margaret-hodge.html?m=1
  16. https://nwobroadcastcorp.wordpress.com/2024/07/05/keir-and-victoria-starmer-uks-new-zionist-genocide-supporting-terrorists/
  17. Nina Goswami: "Keir Starmer QC appointed DPP"
  18. Frances Gibb: "Human rights lawyer Keir Starmer named as new prosecution service chief"
  19. "Why Sir Keir Starmer was knighted: How the Labour leadership contender earned his title – and what he has said about it"
  20. https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/did-keir-starmer-fail-to-prosecute-jimmy-saville/
  21. https://thegrayzone.com/2024/07/06/keir-starmer-scrutiny-protected-savile/
  22. https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/dec/21/keir-starmer-not-told-about-dropping-of-jimmy-savile-case-say-sources-dpp-labour
  23. "Sweden had 'no say' in Assange bail appeal"
  24. Document:Julian Assange Must be Freed, Not Betrayed
  25. "CPS statement on John Worboys"
  26. https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/04/07/star-a07.html
  27. "Secret files reveal covert network run by nuclear police"
  28. https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/04/07/star-a07.html
  29. https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/jun/27/keir-starmer-failed-consult-watchdog-acoba-new-role-after-leaving-cps-labour-dpp
  30. https://www.ft.com/content/842799c6-6c7a-40e4-a9b0-951a181c58ea
  31. https://www.theguardian.com/media/2022/jan/21/oligarchs-use-london-law-firms-to-intimidate-journalists-mps-say
  32. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7484061/Keir-Starmer-pockets-6-000-15-hours-legal-work-MPs-salary.html
  33. "Labour Leadership Election 2020 Candidate Profile: Keir Starmer"
  34. https://web.archive.org/web/20231013002814/https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/uk-labour-leader-starmer-israel-must-always-have-right-defend-itself-2023-10-10/
  35. https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/sir-keir-starmer-hamas-terrorism-israel-defend-itself/
  36. https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20210119-uk-labour-leader-starmer-hired-former-israeli-spy-for-social-media-team/
  37. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/boris-johnson-plan-b-covid-government-prime-minister-b1974483.html
  38. https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-sir-keir-starmer-self-isolating-after-one-of-his-children-tests-positive-for-coronavirus-12360655
  39. https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/1811195/keir-starmer-davos
  40. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSRmyDjkNgc
  41. a b https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/keir-starmer-freebies-junkets-tottenham-hotspur-chelsea-coldplay-adele-google/
  42. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2024/09/29/starmers-team-used-lord-allis-4m-soho-townhouse/
  43. “Angela Rayner is right. Keir Starmer has changed the Labour Party: he’s changed it into the Conservative Party”
  44. "Jewish former S African MP Feinstein will stand against Starmer in Holborn St Pancras"
  45. "Starmer wins in Holborn and St Pancras with reduced majority"
  46. "Labour leadership: Phillips and Nandy secure nominations"
  47. "Congratulations to @Keir_Starmer, the new Leader of the Labour Party!"
  48. "Keir Starmer received £50,000 donation from pro-Israel lobbyist in leadership bid"
  49. "Keir Starmer did not become leader to help Labour win, but to restore establishment control over the party"
  50. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-59422675
  51. https://labourlist.org/2022/01/he-deserves-the-honour-keir-starmer-welcomes-knighthood-for-tony-blair/
  52. "Keir Starmer nicknamed ‘Sir Kid Starver’ over Labour plans to keep two-child benefit cap"