King Charles gives Starmer government commission
Keir Starmer is the new Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. King Charles III has commissioned the Social Democrats with government formation. The 61-year-old has won a significant victory with his Labour Party in the parliamentary election, displacing the Conservative Party, which had governed in Britain for 14 years.
Starmer succeeds Rishi Sunak as the former Prime Minister. He is a lawyer, worked as a human rights lawyer, and was the head of the Crown Prosecution Service. He has led the Labour Party for four years.
No return to the EU
The new Prime Minister faces numerous challenges in the country - for example, the overburdening of the National Health Service (NHS), housing issues, or the question of how the country will deal with immigration. Major issues in the United Kingdom also include rising living costs.
Politically, he promises economic stability, a better healthcare system, and stronger border control. He plans to found a national enterprise for energy supply and hire more teachers. He intends to abandon the previous government's plan to deport irregular migrants to Rwanda, regardless of their origin. A return of his country to the EU has been ruled out.
The politician, who is considered boring by many, does not excite the Britons with his entry into Downing Street. His overwhelming victory in the parliamentary election is more likely to be seen as a desire for change among the British than an endorsement of his political vision for the country.
In many policy areas, he remained vague. Therefore, it is eagerly anticipated what changes he will introduce and whether he will convince the people of Britain of his leadership.
Starmer took over the leadership of the Labour Party from Jeremy Corbyn, who was criticized for not dealing decisively with antisemitism in his party. Starmer led the party back to the political center and took a firm stance against antisemitic tendencies. However, the war in Gaza caused ongoing tensions in his party, which traditionally has close ties to the Palestinians.
In the campaign, Starmer often emphasized that his father was a toolmaker and his mother a nurse. Since his mother was seriously ill, Starmer took on responsibility in the family at a young age, as his biographer Tom Baldwin writes.
Starmer is a football fan and a supporter of the London Premier League team Arsenal. After his election victory, he also intends to spend some time on the football field himself. He plans to continue to prioritize Friday evenings for his wife Victoria and their two teenage children.
Starmer's government mandate, centering on economic stability and better healthcare, is a departure from the Conservative Party's previous focus. As the new Prime Minister, Starmer's promise of stronger border control contrasts with Charles's commission to the Social Democrats for government formation. Starmer's decision to abandon the Rwanda deportation plan aligns with his stance on immigration policies, which differs from the Conservative Party's approach.
