Timeline
Born on 2 September in Southwark, London.
Became a barrister at the Middle Temple.
Named Director of Public Prosecutions.
Appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB).
Elected Member of Parliament for Holborn and St Pancras.
Became Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition.
Became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
Resigned as Prime Minister on 20 July.
Biography
Sir Keir Rodney Starmer (born 2 September 1962) is a British politician and former lawyer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2024 to 2026. He was Leader of the Labour Party from 2020 to 2026 and Leader of the Opposition from 2020 to 2024. He has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Holborn and St Pancras since 2015. Before entering politics, Starmer was a barrister and served as Director of Public Prosecutions from 2008 to 2013. He graduated from the University of Leeds and St Edmund Hall, Oxford, specialising in human rights. He led Labour to a landslide victory in the 2024 general election, but his premiership ended with low public approval and his resignation in 2026.
Early Life & Background
Keir Rodney Starmer was born on 2 September 1962 in Southwark, south-east London, and raised in Oxted, Surrey. He is the second of four children of Josephine (née Baker), a nurse, and Rodney Starmer, a toolmaker. His parents were both Labour Party supporters, and he was nominally "brought up Church of England." Starmer attended Reigate Grammar School, which converted to an independent fee-paying school during his time there, where he received a bursary. As a teenager, he was politically active for the Labour Party Young Socialists.
Education
Keir Starmer graduated with a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Leeds in 1985. He then received a postgraduate Bachelor of Civil Law degree from St Edmund Hall, Oxford, in 1986. He passed the 11-plus examination and attended Reigate Grammar School, where he studied mathematics, music, and physics, achieving A level grades of B, B, and C.
Political & Professional Career
Keir Starmer was politically active for the Labour Party Young Socialists as a teenager. He was elected Member of Parliament (MP) for Holborn and St Pancras at the 2015 general election. He supported the Remain campaign in the 2016 European Union membership referendum and advocated for a second referendum on Brexit. He served as Shadow Brexit Secretary under Jeremy Corbyn. Following Corbyn's resignation, Starmer succeeded him as Leader of the Labour Party in 2020, also becoming Leader of the Opposition. He led Labour to a landslide victory in the 2024 general election, becoming Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2024 to 2026. He resigned on 20 July 2026 and was succeeded by Andy Burnham.
Key Achievements & Legacy
Appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in the 2014 New Year Honours for services to law and criminal justice., Led the Labour Party to a landslide victory at the 2024 general election, ending 14 years of Conservative government., As Director of Public Prosecutions, he handled major cases including the Stephen Lawrence murder case, bringing his murderers to justice., Decriminalised abortion in England and Wales during his premiership., Negotiated free trade agreements with India, the European Union, and the United States as Prime Minister.