Keir Starmer

Sir Keir Starmer is a British barrister and Labour Party politician who became the United Kingdom's Prime Minister on 5 July 2024, following Labour's landslide win in the general election held the previous day. He has served as Member of Parliament for Holborn and St Pancras since 2015 and as Leader of the Labour Party since April 2020, when he succeeded Jeremy Corbyn.

Before entering politics, Starmer had a long legal career focused on human rights and criminal law. He served as Director of Public Prosecutions and head of the Crown Prosecution Service for England and Wales from 2008 to 2013, a role for which he was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in 2014. Earlier work included human rights cases in the Caribbean and advising the Northern Ireland Policing Board on compliance with the Human Rights Act.

As Labour leader he positioned the party toward the political centre, distancing it from several Corbyn-era policies and emphasising fiscal discipline, public service reform, and closer (though not membership-level) cooperation with the European Union after Brexit. His 2024 campaign centred on five "missions," including economic growth, NHS reform, clean energy, and reducing crime.

In foreign policy, Starmer's government has continued UK military and financial support for Ukraine following Russia's 2022 invasion, maintained AUKUS commitments with Australia and the United States, and pursued a reset of relations with the EU. His administration also formally agreed in 2024–2025 to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago to Mauritius while retaining the Diego Garcia military base under a long-term lease, a decision that drew domestic and international debate.

Starmer's premiership is frequently studied by MUN delegates and IR students as a case of centre-left governance navigating post-Brexit Britain, transatlantic alliance management, and contested questions of decolonisation and sovereignty.