Who is Keir Starmer, the Labour leader favored to win Britain’s July 4 election?
Associated PressLONDON — Dutiful, managerial, a bit dull — Keir Starmer is no one’s idea of a firebrand politician. “A vote for Labour is a vote for stability — economic and political,” Starmer said after Prime Minister Rishi Sunakcalled the election on May 22. If opinion polls giving Labour a consistent double-digit lead are borne out on election day, Starmer will become Britain’s first Labour prime minister since 2010. “I know what out of control inflation feels like, how the rising cost-of-living can make you scared of the postman coming down the path: ‘Will he bring another bill we can’t afford?’ “We used to choose the phone bill because when it got cut off, it was always the easiest to do without.” Starmer’s mother suffered from a chronic illness, Still’s disease, that left her in pain, and Starmer has said that visiting her in the hospital and helping to care for her helped form his strong support for the state-funded National Health Service. He said he wanted to stay and fight to change Labour, arguing that “leaders are temporary, but political parties are permanent.” After Corbyn led Labour to election defeats in 2017 and 2019 — the latter the party’s worst result since 1935 — Labour picked Starmer to lead efforts to rebuild.