TE I understand the politics of the Labour Party means that things like VAT on private schools is important; the windfall tax on oil profits is important. Were challenged the whole time about why dont we spend more money, and there is always that challenge. "They were shown a picture of me and they had a picture of Paul Bint [and asked] 'did you think this was him? Morgan asked if it was "cruel" to leave that task to him, but Sir Keir said: "No. Where does something like steel fit, for example? Keir Starmer became Shadow Minister for Immigration in 2015 and was the Shadow Secretary of State in 2016. TE So growth is your central mission. At Davos, we were lamenting the fact there isnt an alternative plan. Copyright The Economist Newspaper Limited 2023. He was going to stay there with her, he always did.". Were pro- business, which is very welcome. If were going to reform planning, if were going to have to look again at regulations, then we need to get on with that to do the house building that we need. LADY Victoria Starmer has been married to Sir Keir for 15 years. Is Sir Keir Starmer married? Too many businesseswe had a big business reception in Stockton last nightwill tell you over and over again: We went to BEIS, but it was a bit in BEIS, a bit elsewhere, and that there were so many people, the change in personnel. The frustration that nothing gets moved on if you dont change the way of working in Whitehall. Obviously, we recognise that, given the mess the government has made of change in the last ten years, theres a reaction to change within our public services. One party insider said the figure being talked about internally was 400. All rights reserved. Before you get to tax and spend, the crucial question is: how are you going to grow the economy? It was mid-morning and the wrong time of day to be mobbed as he walked along the promenade but people were pleasant and curious. Type above and press Enter to search. Sir Keir Starmer has been accused of hypocrisy after claiming Rishi Sunak is too out of touch to understand the NHS. Starmerism is as much about the how as the what. Would Starmer choose boring old vanilla or be more adventurous? Now he is far more guarded about precisely how far he can go, saying that obviously the financial situation has changed since 2019. And he revealed to Morgan that the relationship had had an impact on him as a father. "One of them said, 'well, everyone can have an off day'.". This is a good thing, because it means people who should be in prison are in prison. And do you think that this has become an overweening executive, and if so, how would you address that? The family wealth of the Prime Minister, who has used private healthcare in the past but is now registered with an NHS GP, has been the subject of repeated recent attacks by the opposition. I accept that. Most populous nation: Should India rejoice or panic? Im now voting Labour. He said there needs to be a lawful basis and was prepared to set out what it was, and also to get the consent of Parliament by setting out what you want to achieve. KS Firstly, weve got to have an ambition for what we do with steel, which is green steel of the future. The dream of home ownership has been killed by the prime minister because he has taken those targets away. Of all the people Keir Starmer should meet on a bank holiday visit to Blackpool, it was a former neighbour from decades ago who wanted to chat about Kentish Town. Lady Victoria Starmer has been . This will be a bold and reforming Labour government bringing about real change that I hope will be felt through the generations, he says. But you dont get fundamentally different outcomes if youre not prepared to do the change-and-reform bit as well. But then we face the question of how you are going to deliver them. That will require us to be bold when it comes to things like planning. Ive said many, many times my frustration with sticking-plaster politics, the short-term basis of decisions for the last 13 years, has been a massive hindrance to our economic growth. Has Victoria Starmer been married before? But Im absolutely clear in my mind, the status quo is not good enough. That requires a government that is prepared to say, thats our plan, and were sticking with it. Sir Keir Starmer risks making grisly accusations about his past fair game with defence of Labour's attack ads. Keir Starmer stands by Labours Sunak attack ad and denies it is racist, Labour has 18-point lead on Tories as local election day looms, Keir Starmer: I want Labour to be the party of home ownership, Ill be bolder than Blair on public service reform, says Keir Starmer, Sir Softy: Starmer insult makes it from Sun headline to PMQs, Keir Starmer promises to halve violence against women as part of crime mission, Keir Starmer follows Rishi Sunak in releasing tax returns, Keir Starmer visits Kyiv to emphasise Labours backing for Ukraine, Abbott denies Starmer privately defied Corbyn over antisemitism, one of the most deprived areas of England. Luke Hall, a deputy Conservative Party chairman, said: Sir Keir's hypocrisy knows no bounds. Keir Starmer and shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson chat to people in Blackpool. The Economist: Thank you first for sitting down with us. But he has opened up before and revealed he married his wife Victoria in 2007, 14 years ago.. California: Do Not Sell My Personal Information, The scandal at the Confederation of British Industry may be terminal, How one of Britains oldest youth clubs is trying to stay relevant, Labours green industrial policy will not cure Britains economic ills. Sir Keir has been married to his wife, Victoria, since 2007, and she sat in the audience to watch the interview take place. If we do those things and if were focused and disciplined on them, we have a chance of picking our party up from the worst election results since 1935 and winning an election. All registered. Victoria Starmer is Jewish. It is bringing current practice into one place. So I dont doubt the government is talking to business, but I think theyre talking past business at the moment.TE Can I ask about the constitution? Labour's leader wants voters to think of him as a crusader for justice and a clean . Im not interested in that model. And then tell me what government might be able to do within reason to deal with that. "He answered a lonely hearts column ad in the Sunday Times, not as himself but as me, saying I am Keir Starmer, director of public prosecutions, and two people took him up on his offer," he said. Partnership is one of those features. So theyre live, they reflect on and are intended to build on what we genuinely think is the consensus across the country. There is a strategic challenge that his team recognises. It makes for great political cartoons; for the economy and investment is a disaster, because many investors are saying, Well, Im sitting it out at the moment in relation to the UK because theyre not the conditions that I think are strong enough for me to invest a lot of money as we go forward.. One of the reasons in the end, I moved from delivering in the criminal justice silo was because I could see that we wouldnt bring about the sort of change we needed unless we could break that way of working. Im not going to make the mistake of not paying, said Starmer as he reached for his wallet. His first priority must be coronavirus Being the leader of the opposition is often considered the most difficult job in politics but Starmer comes in at a moment of particular crisis. April 5, 2020 by Stars Wiki. On devolving economic power, he seems genuinely committed to giving it away as soon as he gets it: There is a theory of growth that says you could grow London and the south-east even faster and then redistribute to the rest of the country. This is the idea of economic hubs or clusters that was at the heart of the Commission on the Future of Britain [a Labour Party policy paper on regional devolution]. Im not new to the idea of reforming public services. And that you should have the consent of Parliament, save in urgent cases, of course. The pair tied the knot in 2007 after striking up a romance in the early 2000s when were both. Whats the institutional framework that needs to change to give those investors certainty that things are going to be stable beyond the life of a government? KS I think we have to take this on. Thankfully for his minders, there was only one choice. Even last night, there was a sense of people saying well, the hydrogen strategys come out, why didnt come out sooner, its not ambitious enough. "And quite right too.". They are blessed with two beautiful children. It is important that everybody asks themselves: am I better off now than I was when this government started 13 years ago? While Life Stories explores the personal, the political needed to make an appearance on the ITV show too. It is active government in the best possible sense of the word. "I was doing a case in court and it all depended on whether the documents were accurate," said Sir Keir. I know David Cameron strongly felt that these were the basics. KS Im asked all the time does this involve local tax-raising. Just over three years ago, I took over as leader of the Labour party. And doing that by setting out in clear terms, what we're going to deliverthey are the missionsbut also how we're going to do it. Two days ago, I was in Derby, and a woman came up to me in the Co-op and said I voted Conservative all my life. 2023 BBC. Last month, Labour ran an attack advert which read: Do you think the super-rich deserve a tax loophole more than cancer patients deserve life-saving treatment? But a lot of people look at that and say, is that the floor on ambition, or a ceiling? Setting Labour a deliberately unambitious target for Thursdays council elections, he says that if his party gains just 400 seats, it will represent good progress. Speaking to the Jewish Chronicle in 2020, Keir Starmer said "As you probably know, my wife's family is Jewish. But I do think business has changed on this. She stood there in Brighton for his 88-minute speech, during which he spoke movingly of his mother, an NHS nurse who died of a very rare form of arthritis. They know the change they want. So thats the first bit of the answer. "One of the cabbies turned up at my office and said I want my money and that was when everyone started to realise what was happening.". Keir Starmer and . You can be very credible over a five-year period. If I got one message loud and clear, when I went to Davos with Rachel Reeves from the international investment community, it was: We do not see enough certainty, stability and long-term thinking in your country to invest in your country. Thats the fundamentals that we have to provide. Would she be voting for him, she was asked afterwards. But the how is really important. Thats why theyre very open to this discussion with us. When asked what he meant by that, he replied: Im saying hes out of touch, that he doesnt know whats happening in the everyday lives of very many millions of people., He added: I mean hes out of touch. One of the features of government in the last ten or fifteen years has been this divide, divide, divide, divideif you can find a wedge issue thats good politics. Were not going to do that. Sir Keir Starmer took over the leadership of the Labour Party in April 2020 - weeks after the Covid pandemic had taken hold in the UK. . The Labour leader said there seemed to be an emerging pattern of behaviour when it came to Rishi Sunaks familys financial interests. KS Look, well come up with a set of proposals. are to show that enough people are beginning to believe that Keir Starmer has the answers . But equallyand weve not paid enough regard to thisI spent a lot of time on victims, particularly in criminal justice, who didnt have a voice. You say about activist government. Despite her husband being in the public spotlight, she prefers a more private and quiet life. I think all prime ministers are pretty well-subscribed to that now. Theres a reason why Rachel Reeves is absolutely focused on fiscal responsibility and stability. Is anything better? It is a view he kept well hidden during the 2020 Labour leadership election, when he said: "On electoral reform, we've got to address . Obviously I want to win as many seats as possible but its a tough set of elections for us because the baseline for the Tories is on the floor., It was not just about how many extra seats Labour wins, he said. Were going to have a core partnership with business. It will be a first for many governments to actually have a prime minister and a chancellor who are absolutely in lockstep. Our thinking is about how you put the resource thats available closer to people and use the resource better, because a lot of the resource thats going in whether its hospital trusts, NHS trusts or our councils is being delivered in such a way that its not very effective. The Labour leader sees a way through the conundrum, by asking people to approach it stage by stage. The missions are intended to give us the motors on the ships, and as a way to answer all questions. LADY Victoria Starmer has been married to Sir Keir for 15 years. That is about building new relations with business, it is about us having the opportunity to say were a changed party. So were prepared to say when we are looking at tax changes where we want to go. The first place the next Labour Government will go is to grow. KS Having the discussions, making sure the strategy is clear and having the stability that we need. She barely steps outside to discuss her romantic life. Alexander's mother, who had converted to Judaism, died earlier this year. He possesses in-depth Sports Journalism experience with a proven record of achievements in creating and delivering high quality engaging media content. Your contribution to this has been the missions speeches and what you call dynamic government. 1 Lady Victoria Starmer. LADY Victoria Starmer has been married to Sir Keir for 15 years. Victoria has never married before. These are intense discussions we have with business, which is that we agree that we will deliver the missions together. Is this a signal that this is going to be a soak the rich approach? Sir Keir also confirmed he would replace the Governments power to appoint a BBC chairman with an independent process after Richard Sharp resigned the post on Friday. While some sources have previously reported that she was born in Poland, Keir Starmer recently told . It obviously means that we need to get the balance right as we go forward. KS Well, look, Im not going to comment on Sue Gray until the committee [vetting her appointment] has had the chance to make their decision. "I do hug them, I do tell them I love them, they will know me, I will know them in a way I probably didn't know my dad.". Has Keir Starmer been married before? Study Hall is described on the grant award by Innovate UK as a firm that is developing a cutting-edge AI-based adaptive learning and assessment platform that can accelerate student progress. On Thursday, Keir Starmer's spokesperson said he has a "longstanding view against proportional representation". We know what the problems are, butsotto voceits very hard to solve them. Mrs Starmer is a. He is happily married to wife Victoria, a former solicitor turned therapist, and they live with their two children in Kentish Town. Well, it isnt. We're coming.". "She said, 'who the bleep does he think he is', then put the phone down on me," Sir Keir said. A spokeswoman for UK Research and Innovation said: All Innovate UK funding decisions are made through a rigorous, transparent process by independent experts., A Cabinet Office spokesman, in relation to Mr Sunaks financial interests being declared, said: All declarations have been made and due process followed to the letter..