Official portrait, 2024
Premiership of Keir Starmer 5 July 2024 – present
Monarch	Charles III
Cabinet	Starmer ministry
Party	Labour
Election	2024
Seat	10 Downing Street
←  Rishi Sunak

This article is part of a series about Keir Starmer
Legal career Leader of the Opposition Leadership election Shadow Cabinet Opposition frontbench May 2021 reshuffle November 2021 reshuffle 2023 reshuffle Vote of confidence in the Boris Johnson ministry Beergate Antisemitism in the Labour Party Dossier Election date betting scandal Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Premiership Ministry International trips Autumn 2024 budget Border Security Command 2024 Labour manifesto Great British Energy Policies Political positions Electoral history Elections 2021 local elections 2022 local elections 2023 local elections 2024 local elections 2024 general election endorsements 2025 local elections Victoria Starmer (wife)
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Keir Starmer's tenure as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom began on 5 July 2024 when he accepted an invitation from King Charles III to form a government, succeeding Rishi Sunak of the Conservative Party, after the Labour Party had won the 2024 general election. As prime minister, Starmer is also serving as the first lord of the treasury and the leader of the Labour Party.

Domestically, Starmer has said he will focus on economic growth, planning system reforms, infrastructure, energy, healthcare, education, childcare, and strengthening workers' rights, all of which were outlined in the Labour Party's 2024 election manifesto. He has stated his intention to establish the Border Security Command to replace the Rwanda asylum plan. In foreign policy, Starmer has supported Ukraine in its war against Russia and Israel in its war against Hamas.

Labour leadership bid

On 4 January 2020, Keir Starmer announced his candidacy for the Labour Party leadership election. ^{[1] [2] [3]} By 8 January, it was reported that he had gained enough nominations from Labour MPs and MEPs to get onto the ballot paper, and that the trade union Unison was backing him. Unison, with 1.3 million members, said Starmer was the best placed candidate to unite the party and regain public trust. ^[4] He also gained support from former Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Mayor of London Sadiq Khan. ^[5]

During the leadership election, Starmer ran a left-wing platform. He positioned himself in opposition to austerity, stating that the outgoing leader Jeremy Corbyn was "right" to position Labour as the "party of anti-austerity". ^{[6] [7]} He indicated he would continue with the Labour policy of scrapping tuition fees as well as pledging "common ownership" of rail, mail, energy and water companies and called for ending outsourcing in the NHS, local governments and the justice system. ^[8]

Starmer was announced as the winner of the leadership contest on 4 April 2020, defeating rivals Rebecca Long-Bailey and Lisa Nandy, with 56.2% of the vote in the first round. ^{[9] [10] [11]} As opposition leader, he moved the party toward the political centre, and also emphasised the project of eliminating antisemitism within the party. Starmer's leadership has been widely compared to Tony Blair's leadership and New Labour, having taken the party rightward to gain perceived electability.

2024 general election landslide victory

In July 2024, Starmer led Labour to a landslide victory in the 2024 general election, ending fourteen years of Conservative government with Labour becoming the largest party in the House of Commons. ^[12] He is the first Labour prime minister since Gordon Brown in 2010 and the first one to win a general election since Tony Blair in 2005. In his victory speech, Starmer thanked party workers for their hard work – including nearly five years of revamping and rebranding Labour in the face of Tory dominance – and urged them to savour the moment, but warned them of challenges ahead and pledged his government would work for "national renewal": ^[13]

We did it. You campaigned for it, you fought for it, you voted for it and now it has arrived. Change begins now. And it feels good, I have to be honest. Four-and-a-half years of work changing the party. This is what it is for – a changed Labour Party ready to serve our country, ready to restore Britain to the service of working people. We said we would end the chaos and we will. We said we would turn the page and we have. Today we start the next chapter, begin the work of change, the mission of national renewal and start to rebuild our country.

Entering government

As the leader of the majority party in the House of Commons, Starmer was appointed as prime minister by King Charles III on 5 July 2024, becoming the first Labour prime minister since Gordon Brown, the first one to win a general election since Tony Blair, and the first Labour government formed during the reign of Charles III. ^[14] Starmer was driven from Buckingham Palace to Downing Street, where he was greeted by a crowd of supporters and gave his first speech as prime minister. In his speech, Starmer paid tribute to the previous prime minister Rishi Sunak, saying "His achievement as the first British Asian Prime Minister of our country should not be underestimated by anyone," and also recognised "the dedication and hard work he brought to his leadership" but said that the people of Britain had voted for change: ^{[15] [16]}

You have given us a clear mandate, and we will use it to deliver change. To restore service and respect to politics, end the era of noisy performance, tread more lightly on your lives, and unite our country. Four nations, standing together again, facing down, as we have so often in our past, the challenges of an insecure world. Committed to a calm and patient rebuilding. So with respect and humility, I invite you all to join this government of service in the mission of national renewal. Our work is urgent and we begin it today.

Other world leaders including Joe Biden and Justin Trudeau, as well as former Labour Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, congratulated Starmer after he was appointed prime minister. ^[17] In his first day as prime minister, Starmer contacted Volodymyr Zelenskyy and told him that the change of government would make no difference to the UK's support for Ukraine, and that the UK would continue supplying defensive support amid the Russian invasion of the country. ^[18] Starmer also contacted Biden, and discussed their shared commitment to the special relationship between the UK and US, and their plans for economic growth. ^[19]

One of his first acts as prime minister was cancelling the controversial Rwanda asylum plan, claiming it to be "dead and buried." ^{[20] [21]} Home secretary Yvette Cooper started setting out the first steps towards establishing a Border Security Command, to tackle smuggling gangs which facilitate illegal migrant crossings over the English Channel. ^{[22] [23]} Starmer went on a tour of the four countries of the United Kingdom and met with the leader of the Scottish Labour Party Anas Sarwar, and also met with First Minister of Scotland John Swinney at the official residence of the First Minister, Bute House. ^[24] He also met with mayors including Andy Burnham and Sadiq Khan. ^[25]

Cabinet

His new government was formed throughout 5–7 July, with the new Cabinet first meeting on 6 July and the new Parliament being called to meet on 9 July. ^{[26] [27]} Starmer appointed women to a record half of the Cabinet (including Rachel Reeves as the first female Chancellor of the Exchequer in British history) and three of the five top positions in the British government, including Angela Rayner as his Deputy Prime Minister. ^{[28] [29][ failed verification]}

Starmer also appointed three politically independent experts: scientist Patrick Vallance as Minister of State for Science, rehabilitation campaigner James Timpson as Minister of State for Prisons, Parole and Probation, and international law expert Richard Hermer as Attorney General for England and Wales. ^[30] The government includes a few ministers from the New Labour governments of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, including Hilary Benn, Yvette Cooper, David Lammy and Ed Miliband in the Cabinet, and Jacqui Smith and Douglas Alexander as junior ministers. ^{[31] [32] [33]}

Policies

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (July 2024)

In 2023, Starmer set out five missions for his government, targeting issues such as economic growth, health, clean energy, crime and education. On 2 June 2024, Starmer pledged to reduce record high legal immigration to the UK. Net migration to the UK was 685,000 in 2023. ^[34]

In June 2024, Starmer released the Labour 2024 general election manifesto Change, which focuses on economic growth, planning system reforms, infrastructure, what Starmer describes as "clean energy," healthcare, education, childcare, and strengthening workers' rights. ^{[35] [36]} It pledges a new publicly owned energy company ( Great British Energy), a "Green Prosperity Plan," reducing patient waiting times in the NHS, and renationalisation of the railway network ( Great British Railways). ^[37] It includes wealth creation and "pro-business and pro-worker" policies. ^[38] The manifesto also pledged to give votes to 16 year olds, reform the House of Lords, and to tax private schools, with money generated going into improving state education. ^{[39] [40]}

Domestically, Starmer has said he will focus on economic growth, planning system reforms, infrastructure, energy, healthcare, education, childcare, and strengthening workers' rights, all of which were outlined in the 2024 election manifesto, and established the Border Security Command to replace the Rwanda asylum plan. In foreign policy, Starmer has supported Ukraine in its war against Russia and Israel in its war against Hamas, but has also called for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip since February 2024, after previously declining to call for one.

Parliamentary business

Following the general election, chairs and member of select committees are yet to be appointed. ^[41]

International prime ministerial trips

Starmer attended the 2024 NATO summit for his first international trip. ^{[42] [43]} On the flight to the summit, Starmer layed out a "cast iron" commitment to increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP, following a “root and branch” review of Britain’s defences. ^{[44] [45]} At the summit, Starmer signaled that Ukraine could use Britain’s Storm Shadow missile donations to strike military targets inside Russia, during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. ^[46] In a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Starmer called for an “irreversible” membership strategy for Ukraine to join NATO. ^[47] Starmer presented US President Joe Biden with an Arsenal shirt during their introductory meeting, while emphasising the importance of the US-UK Special Relationship. ^[48]

Country	Location	Date	Details
United States	Washington D.C.	9–11 July	Starmer attended the 2024 NATO summit. [49]
United States	New York City	September	Starmer is expected to attend the 79th United Nations General Assembly.
Samoa	Apia	21–25 October	Starmer is scheduled to attend the 2024 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. [49]
Hungary	TBD	7 November	Starmer is expected to attend the 5th European Political Community Summit.
Brazil	Rio de Janeiro	18–19 November	Starmer is expected to attend the 2024 G20 summit.
Azerbaijan	Baku	November	Starmer is expected to attend COP29.

References