Premiership of Keir Starmer
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.Starmer has announced a Border Security Command in replacement of the Rwanda asylum plan and a National Violent Disorder Programme to the 2024 riots, as well as reforms to workers' rights.[4][5] 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.[13] 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.Today we start the next chapter, begin the work of change, the mission of national renewal and start to rebuild our country.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."[33][34] 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.[33][35] The command would be funded by money previously earmarked for the Rwanda plan and would be responsible for coordinating the activities of Immigration Enforcement, MI5, the Border Force and the National Crime Agency in tackling smuggling gangs which facilitate illegal migrant crossings over the English Channel.On 29 July 2024, Reeves conducted a spending review, arguing there was a need to make "necessary and urgent decisions" because of an "unfunded" and "undisclosed" overspending of £21.9bn by the previous Conservative government.[79] The seven Labour MPs suspended for six months were John McDonnell, Richard Burgon, Ian Byrne, Rebecca Long-Bailey, Imran Hussain, Apsana Begum and Zarah Sultana, all of whom now sit as independents.[93] A parody song,"Freezing This Christmas", by Sir Starmer and the Granny Harmers, reached number one in the The Official Big Top 40 chart on 15 December 2024.The profits from the song, which lampoons Starmer's government's actions in abolishing the payment for all but the poorest pensioners, will go to charities supporting the elderly said Chris Middleton, the artist behind it.[96] Starmer later wrote amid the riots that those who had "hijacked the vigil for the victims" had "insulted the community as it grieves" and that rioters would feel the full force of the law.[98] On 4 August, Starmer said that rioters "will feel the full force of the law" and told them "You will regret taking part in this, whether directly or those whipping up this action online and then running away themselves".[102] Starmer rejected calls from some MPs – including Labour MP Diane Abbott, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage and Conservative Dame Priti Patel – to recall parliament to Westminster.She said: "There's a clear difference between effectively blocking streets or roads being closed to burning down libraries, hotels, food banks and attacking places of worship.[105] After Starmer said "large social media companies and those who run them" were contributing to the disorder, Elon Musk, the owner of X, criticised him for not condemning all participants in the riots and only blaming the far-right.[124] On Friday 20 September, as the 2024 Labour Party Conference was set to begin, Starmer as well as Reeves and Rayner announced they would no longer accept clothes from donors.[128] Starmer subsequently admitted to accepting accommodation worth £20,000 from Lord Alli between May and July 2024, stating that the offer was for somewhere his son could study peacefully for his GCSEs.[132] The prime minister's office denied that the free tickets were connected to security demands, however admitted that Starmer meeting Swift at the concert could have created a perception of a conflict of interest.Previously, the intergenerational transfer of farms had been exempt from taxation as a result of 1992 tax break by the Conservative Major ministry intended to protect food security.[137][138] In November 2024, the newly elected Labour Starmer ministry announced plans to remove the exemption from inheritance tax for farms valued over at least £1,000,000 in order to generate revenue for public services.[139][140][141] Starmer responded to concerns by saying that the actual threshold for inheritance tax liability could reach up to as high as £3,000,000 once various exemptions were applied, including considerations for couples and specific agricultural property relief.[148] Elon Musk, owner of X, called Phillips a "rape genocide apologist" and suggested she was attempting to shield Starmer from blame since he led the Crown Prosecution Service when the abuse occurred.[161] At the 2024 NATO summit, Starmer signaled that Ukraine could use Britain's Storm Shadow missile donations to strike military targets inside Russia.[163] In July 2024, Starmer told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the UK would continue its "vital cooperation to deter malign threats" with Israel.In November 2024, Starmer offered his congratulations to Trump on a phone call after he won the 2024 United States presidential election, along with other world leaders, saying "I look forward to working with you in the years ahead.[169] In November 2024, Starmer met Chinese leader Xi Jinping at the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro and told him he wanted to build a 'consistent, durable, respectful' relationship with China.[170] Starmer's foreign policy stance towards China appears to be one of cautious engagement, yet recent events raise questions about his effectiveness in standing up to Beijing.During a bilateral meeting with President Xi Jinping at the G20 summit, British journalists were forcibly removed by Chinese officials as Starmer addressed human rights issues.The incident casts a shadow over his potential to navigate the complexities of UK-China relations effectively, indicating a perceived weakness in his foreign policy stance.
Starmer ministryCharles IIILabour10 Downing StreetRishi SunakKeir StarmerVictoria StarmerLegal careerDirector of Public ProsecutionsMcLibel caseStephen Lawrence murder caseParliamentary expenses scandalRotherham child sexual exploitation scandal2011 England riotsTwitter joke trialOperation YewtreeLeadership of the OppositionLeadership electionShadow CabinetOpposition frontbenchMay 2021 reshuffleNovember 2021 reshuffle2023 reshuffleAntisemitism in the Labour PartyDossierVote of confidence in the Boris Johnson ministryBeergateElection date betting scandal2024 Labour manifestoPrime Minister of the United KingdomMinistry2024 State Opening of ParliamentOctober 2024 budgetInternational tripsEnglish Channel migrant crossingsBorder Security CommandCost-of-living crisisIndustrial disputespostal workersstrikesGreat British EnergyFreebies controversyWinter fuel payment abolition backlashFarmers' tax protestsPlan for ChangePolitical positionsNew New LabourElectoral history2021 local elections2022 local elections2023 local elections2024 local elections2024 general electionendorsements2025 local electionsNext general electionKing Charles IIIConservative PartyFirst Lord of the TreasuryMinister for the Civil ServiceMinister for the UnionLeader of the Labour PartyLabour Partylandslide victoryConservativein 1830ended certain winter fuel payments for around 10 million peoplepublic sector strikesRwanda asylum plan2024 riotsworkers' rightshas supported Ukraine in the Russia-Ukraine warIsrael in the Israel-Hamas war2020 Labour Party leadership election (UK)Labour Party leadership electionUnisonGordon BrownMayor of LondonSadiq Khanleft-wingausterityJeremy Corbynanti-austeritytuition feesRebecca Long-BaileyLisa NandyLeader of the Oppositionpolitical centreantisemitism within the party2024 United Kingdom general electiongeneral electionopinion pollsChangerenationalisationrailwayGreat British RailwaysHouse of Lordsin Scotlandsince 2010in WalesTony BlairBuckingham PalaceDowning Streetrenationalise the railwaysillegal immigrationTobacco and Vapes Bill2023 King's SpeechPassenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) BillHigh Speed Rail (Crewe - Manchester) BillReform of the House of Lordshereditary peersHouse of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Billfemale bishopsLords Spiritual (Women) Act 2015 (Extension) Billgovernment budgetground rentforfeitureGB Energyretail workersTerrorism (Protection of Premises) BillMartyn's Lawzero hour contractsEquality Actlearning difficultiesbreakfast clubsdigital IDCyber Security and Resilience Bill