What drives Sir Keir Starmer? Red Flag: The Uneasy Advance of Sir Keir Starmer asks this and many more crucial questions about Britain’s Prime Minister. Here, Michael Ashcroft gives us a flavour of his new book, exploring the forces and figures that have shaped Starmer’s leadership and the challenges he faces.
What factors and individuals have influenced Sir Keir Starmer’s political beliefs?
Starmer has been left-wing since childhood. His parents were left-wing, particularly his father, and as a teenager Starmer spent many hours attending meetings of the East Surrey Young Socialists. He would also hold political debates with classmates at Reigate Grammar School, which he attended for seven years. One Reigatian remembers him aged fifteen being very supportive of the 1977 Fire Brigade pay strike. Another says he was driven primarily by a belief in equality. His friend Peter Tatchell says that when Starmer hit his twenties, he became a ‘red–green’ – he was supportive of left-wing environmental causes.
He seems to have drifted further leftwards as he got older. When he was interviewed as a young barrister, he even quoted the French socialist philosopher Pierre-Joseph Proudhon’s maxim ‘property is theft’ while explaining to some senior lawyers why he thought violent burglars shouldn’t necessarily have to go to prison! So he seems to have been of the left his entire life.
Oddly, now that he’s Prime Minister his politics are something of a puzzle – still very left-wing but with a dose of Blairite pragmatism that many of his backbenchers don’t like. His chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, is largely responsible for advising him in that regard.
What is Starmerism? Nobody really knows!
Who are the key figures in Starmer’s inner circle?
As chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney is certainly a key figure. In the Cabinet, Pat McFadden is the de facto Deputy Prime Minister, not Angela Rayner, who actually holds that position. There are also Blairites whom he listens to – people like Jonathan Powell and Liz Kendall. And of course his great friend and now the Attorney General, Lord Hermer, is a very important ally. They’ve known each other for thirty years and share a view about the primacy of international law. The trouble is that view does not sit comfortably with mainstream opinion.
Where does Starmer face the most challenges or vulnerabilities?
A failing economy is what usually does for any government. Throughout Red Flag it is made clear that Starmer lacks confidence in this area. Evidence was not hard to find. Whether it was the time he was taken aside by an aide during a TV election debate and told how to rebut a claim made by Rishi Sunak about rumoured tax rises under a Labour government or his decision during his first 100 days in power to spend so much time abroad instead of focusing on the situation at home, he has never seemed very interested in the economy. At the time of going to press, the economy is in bad shape. Growth forecasts have halved – which is disastrous for a government elected on a promise of growth – business has been saddled with new taxes and employment has taken a hit. If things don’t improve, the buck will stop with Keir Starmer sooner or later.
I’d also say more generally that his Cabinet is probably the most inexperienced of my lifetime. In the eyes of many, therefore, civil servants rather than ministers are in charge of departments. That is not a happy state of affairs either. Starmer faces some huge challenges on tax, immigration, the NHS, public spending, defence and his headlong dive into net zero. It would amaze me if the Conservatives and Reform UK did not start to expose his vulnerabilities in these areas in the coming months.
What role has Starmer’s legal career played in his political decision-making?
I think it’s fair to say that Starmer acts and thinks like a lawyer, not a politician. This is hardly surprising given he spent most of his working life in the law. But it does prompt questions about the effectiveness of his judgement. I don’t detect any strong political instincts in him. I don’t think many people do – not even Labour MPs. He’s not a very confident politician. There is a perception among voters that he comes across as more of a bureaucrat than a politician. Boris Johnson calls him ‘a lawyer, not a leader’ and another former friend says he is ‘an empty suit’, which is an interesting phrase. Those who knew him in his barrister days told me that in court he’d make concessions that would undermine the main issue and were completely wrong, but he did that because he thought that was the way the court was thinking, and he was trying to play to that way of thinking to win the case. I think he treats politics in the same way. Some might say that makes him a follower, not a leader.
Outside of politics, what passions or hobbies does Starmer pursue?
Football seems to be very important to him, as does the club he supports, Arsenal. There’s an anecdote in the book detailing his arrival in Downing Street in July 2024. One of the first things he did was ask a secretary to note down in his diary the dates of all the forthcoming Arsenal games. When a civil servant became aware of this they said, ‘I wouldn’t bother with that, there won’t be time.’ The implication was that as PM Starmer would be far too busy to watch every game. But the secretary said, ‘No, he insists that they’re in his diary.’ That might be quite revealing of the man. He and his wife also enjoy watching horse racing and he likes gambling on racing, too. When asked about the political betting scandal centred on last year’s general election, he responded, ‘I only bet on the horses.’
You can buy your copy of Red Flag: The Uneasy Advance of Sir Keir Starmer here.
For more Michael Ashcroft books, click HERE. Lord Ashcroft KCMG PC is an international businessman, philanthropist, author and pollster. For information on his life and work, visit lordashcroft.com. Follow him on X/Facebook @LordAshcroft.