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Who is Keir Starmer, Labour Party's leader who will become UK's prime minister? What are his views on India?
Keir Starmer, poised to be the next prime minister of Britain, was knighted by the late Queen Elizabeth II for his services to law and criminal justice.
The Labour Party, Britain's main Opposition party, scored a landslide victory in the country's general election. Keir Starmer, the Labour Party's leader, will become the new prime minister of the country.
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Who is Keir Starmer?
61-year-old Keir Starmer, poised to be the next prime minister of Britain, was knighted by the late Queen Elizabeth II for his services to law and criminal justice. He was first elected as a member of Parliament from London in 2015. He is a lawyer by profession.
He has two children. His wife, Victoria, is an employee of the National Health Service (NHS).
Sir Keir Starmer is credited for reversing the Labour Party's fortunes after a dismal performance in the 2019 general election. He has rebuilt the party's connection with the sizeable Indian diaspora, which felt alienated under former leader Jeremy Corbyn over a perceived anti-India stance on Kashmir.
Last year, during a speech, he sought a robust relationship with India on the grounds of global security, climate security and economic security.
"What my Labour government will seek with India is a relationship based on our shared values of democracy and aspiration. That will seek a free trade agreement (FTA), we share that ambition, but also a new strategic partnership for global security, climate security, economic security,” he had said.
Keir Starmer's 2024 election manifesto also commits to seeking a “new strategic partnership with India, including a free trade agreement, as well as deepening cooperation in areas like security, education, technology and climate change”.
Earlier this year, he visited the Shree Swaminarayan Temple in Kingsbury, north London, and assured the Hindu community that there was no place for Hinduphobia in Britain.
Kier Starmer's father was a toolmaker. His mother was a nurse. He grew up in Surrey's Oxted. His mother, Josephine, died in 2015 due to Still's disease, a few weeks after he became an MP.
He studied law at the University of Oxford. He became the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) under a Labour-led government.
He loves soccer. He was named after Keir Hardie, the Labour Party's first leader.
During his campaign, he often talked about financial hardships while growing up.
"We used to choose the phone bill because when it got cut off, it was always the easiest to do without," he said.
He was the first member of his family to get a college education.
With inputs from PTI
