The new PM is going to miss North London. Keir Starmer’s wallet, apparently, is emblazoned with an instruction to “take me home to Kentish Town”, and the whole family are rooted there, the kids walking to school, Lady Starmer walking to work, the whole gang hanging out at the Pineapple or heading off to Hampstead Heath. No more.
Leaving SW1 for Sir Keir will now need early warning, complex logistics and armed escorts. There will be compromises for the rest of them too, and living above the shop in a modest flat in one of the most famous buildings on the planet will require considerable adjustment.
As someone who has built my business upon the overlap between my professional and personal life — I became a divorce lawyer after my own divorce — I know all too well how, in the eyes of the press, nothing is off-limits, and everything is fair game. But a PM has to avoid being heavy handed and alienating the media. So where will he draw the line?
Sir Keir made it clear that he will not be as relaxed as Rishi Sunak who shared a lot about family life and regularly put his wife and daughters on display. No names, no photos, is the Starmer’s starting point, but that could come quickly under strain. His declared intention to carve out quality time for them has won many plaudits, but it’s also drawn criticism.
He is right to try to set some boundaries, and aiming to be at their Shabbat dinner every Friday is perfectly reasonable. But ours is a turbulent world and the decisions it demands of global statesmen don’t stop for the British weekend.
The Starmers are more likely to put their stamp on Number 10 by surrounding themselves with their favourite books. Had he lost, which seemed less and less likely as the campaign progressed, Sir Keir had pretty much implied he’d leave politics to run a bookshop.
Given that Victoria Starmer is a woman already making a substantial contribution in the world, with her own hard-won career, I would expect her involvement to remain minimal
The silence, solitude and slow pace of such a life will no doubt seem very attractive during the relentlessly hectic times ahead, but there are obvious upsides to being the most powerful person in the country. What’s less obvious are any upsides to that person’s partner.
Given that Victoria Starmer is a woman already making a substantial contribution in the world, with her own hard-won career, I would expect her involvement to remain minimal. It has widely been reported that she is plans to continue the job she loves as a therapist in a local hospital.
No bad thing. Sir Keir has said the couple fell in love discussing their interests, and their hobbies — law and politics were never really talking points — at least not in the beginning. I often come across couples who come to me, desperately unhappy because one has put their lives on hold for their spouse. I’ve seen enough to believe that it’s never a bad thing to maintain your own life. It keeps things interesting, fun, and fresh and stops you and/or your spouse from feeling suffocated.
And although his wife “didn’t sign up to it”, Sir Keir has asserted that Victoria Starmer is “absolutely, centrally part of it.”
Whilst the destination seems pretty clear-cut, when it comes to Sir Keir and Lady Starmer navigating this new territory, the journey is just beginning.
As the country enters a new chapter, so will its probable new first family. Here’s hoping it goes smoothly for us all!
