Sir Keir Starmer, the most working-class Labour leader in a generation, remains an enigma to many voters despite his commanding poll lead. His biographer, a former adviser, paints a portrait of a complex, paradoxical figure who is far from the 'boring' label often attached to him. Described as good company, engagingly funny, and a good listener, Starmer is also 'breathtakingly ruthless' in overcoming opponents, including his predecessor Jeremy Corbyn.
The biography reveals a private and cautious man who took enormous political risks, such as sacking a candidate mid-byelection over antisemitic remarks. Starmer's backstory is messy: a difficult relationship with his father, a sense of separation from his siblings, and a hard-driving ambition that an ex-girlfriend recalled as involving 'not much reflection and no stopping'. He only began referencing his working-class roots—'my dad was a toolmaker, my mum was a nurse'—in his late 50s.
Starmer's identity was long built on his career as a human rights barrister and Director of Public Prosecutions. He lacks the charisma of Boris Johnson or a simple three-word vision, yet he has pulled Labour from far behind to a 20-point lead. The biographer argues that dismissing him as a 'lucky general' underestimates his forensic, lawyerly approach, which first exposed Johnson's vulnerabilities and provided reassurance during Truss's market turmoil.
