He has been described as a man who seems less at ease in the political arena than in the courtroom.
Keir Starmer, leader of the Labour Party, campaigns ahead of the general election, in Redditch, UK, on Wednesday, July 3, 2024.
Earnest, intense, practical and not brimming with charisma, he finds himself on the cusp of a potential landslide victory without the star quality that marked previous British leaders on the doorstep of power, whether Margaret Thatcher, the 1980s free-market champion, or Tony Blair, the avatar of “Cool Britannia”.
The polls that predict his party will win a lopsided majority in Parliament on July 4 also suggest that he is unloved by British voters. They struggle to warm to a man who seems less at ease in the political arena than in the courtroom where he excelled. Raised in a working-class family in Surrey, outside London, Mr Starmer did not have an easy childhood. His relationship with his father, a toolmaker, was distant. His mother, a nurse, suffered a debilitating illness that took her in and out of the hospital. He became the first university graduate in his family, studying first at Leeds University, and then law at Oxford.
When Conservatives questioned whether Mr Starmer, too, had violated lockdown rules by having a beer and an Indian takeout dinner with colleagues in April 2021, he vowed to step down if police found he had been in the wrong. He was cleared – an episode that allies said showcased his rigorous adherence to the rules and offered a stark contrast to the leaders of the Conservative Party.
Allies of Mr Starmer say he is aware of his limits and works hard to address his weaknesses. While he is not a natural orator, his speeches have improved since his early days in Parliament, when one critic likened his performance to “watching the audience at a literary festival listen to a reading of T.S. Eliot.”“How does Keir Starmer energise a room?” Ms Gillian Keegan, the education secretary, asked recently before delivering her punchline: “He leaves it.
Malaysia Latest News, Malaysia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
HDB sells mixed-use property at Tampines Street 94pstrongThis is seen to yield about 585 residential units./strong/p pThe a href="https://sbr.com.
Read more »
Tampines Street 94 site could sell for up to $699m: analystspemThe plot can yield 585 homes and 10,500 sqm of commercial space./em/p pThe Housing and Development Board (HDB) has launched the tender for a mixed-use site at Tampines Street 94, with analysts predicting bids to go as high as $699m.
Read more »
Motorcyclist, 23, dies after accident with private bus at junction of Bencoolen Street and Stamford RoadSINGAPORE - A 23-year-old motorcyclist died in hospital after an accident involving a private bus. At around 7.40pm on June 15, the police and the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) were alerted to the accident that happened at the junction of Bencoolen Street and Stamford Road.
Read more »
Motorcyclist, 23, dies after accident at junction of Bencoolen Street, Stamford RoadA 22-year-old female motorcycle pillion rider was taken conscious to the hospital.
Read more »
Bugis Street cast reunites, looks back at past 30 yearsThe Projector’s Pink Screen LGBTQIA+ film festival opened on May 31 with a screening of the landmark 1995 film Bugis Street, a poignant portrayal of transgender sex workers navigating love, lust and life in the titular district of 1960s Singapore. The film,...
Read more »
15-year-old girl among 71 suspects arrested in anti-drug operationThe seized drugs of the several-day operation have an estimated street value of about $115,000.
Read more »