Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer was spotted out and about around Swansea at the weekend. But whilst it might be more commonplace to see leading politicians visit on official business, the former lawyer paid a visit to south Wales to enjoy some time off.
He was said by a member of his team to be in the area "on a rare weekend of entirely leisure" as he took in some of Swansea's most beautiful sights. These included Mumbles Pier, where he was spotted in the company of Swansea MP Caroline Harris on Friday, August 19, having had a meal at Copperfish fish and chip restaurant.
And, on the afternoon of Saturday, August 20, he was spotted entering the Swansea.com stadium to watch Swansea City Football Club take on Luton Town, a game which saw the Swans lose 2-0. Mr Starmer is a fan of football and is a lifelong Arsenal supporter.
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Caleb Parfitt, aged 10, managed to grab a quick photograph with the leader of the opposition as he was entering the stadium. His dad, Ian Parfitt said: "He was great in fairness, there were a couple of guys trying to get him in the stadium, but he was more than happy to come over and pose for the photo - even waiting because Caleb's camera was on a ten second timer!" You can get more Swansea news and other story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.
Both Boris Johnson and Keir Starmer have recently faced criticism for going on holiday during an escalating cost of living crisis. Mr Johnson was most recently seen on a second holiday in Greece. The PM's official spokesman said he would be "kept informed on any urgent issues and make decisions particularly those (related to) national security for example”.
Mr Starmer went to Mallorca with his family and, when questioned about his trip away, he told BBC Breakfast: "I’ve got a very important job as leader of the Labour Party, as leader of the opposition. But I’ve also got another job that’s really important and that is I’m a dad. And I’m not going to apologise for going on holiday with my wife and kids. It’s the first time we’ve had a real holiday for about three years."
Sir Keir recently called for an immediate freeze on energy prices, stating that energy bills were going to "go through the roof" this winter. He said: "We should freeze energy prices, not let those bills go up, and pay for that in part with a windfall tax on oil and gas companies who are making huge, huge profits. Alongside that, we need a national mission to insulate homes."
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