Keir Starmer

The Biography

By: Tom Baldwin

Narrated by: John Sackville

THE BESTSELLING BIOGRAPHY OF THE BRITISH PRIME MINISTER

A Times Book of the Year; A Telegraph Book of the Year; A Daily Mail Book of the Year; A Waterstones Book of the Year

‘Required reading for anyone who has an interest in who governs Britain' ALASTAIR CAMPBELL

'This will be the most important political book of the year’ MATTHEW D’ANCONA, EVENING STANDARD

This authoritative – but not authorised – biography by Tom Baldwin provides answers by drawing deeply on many hours of interviews with Prime Minister himself, as well as unprecedented access to members of his family, his oldest friends and closest colleagues.

Together, they tell an unexpectedly intimate story filled with feelings of grief and love that has driven him on more than any rigid ideology or loyalty to a particular faction.

The book tracks Starmer’s emergence from a troubled small town background and rebellious youth, through a storied legal career as a human rights barrister and the country’s chief prosecutor, to becoming an MP relatively late in life.

Baldwin provides a vivid and compelling account of how this untypical politician then rose to be leader of his party in succession to Jeremy Corbyn, then transformed it with a ruthless rapidity that has enraged opponents from the left just as much as it has bewildered those on the right.

Above all, this is a book that should be read by anyone who wants to understand how someone who has too often been underestimated or dismissed as dull, now intends to change Britain.

'The first serious and consistently readable biography of Starmer…It is a wonder that he has said so much to Baldwin' PATRICK MAGUIRE, THE TIMES

'This is an absolutely riveting and very timely biography' AMOL RAJAN

‘Highly readable… Baldwin has peeled back more layers than anyone else' ROBERT SHRIMSLEY, FINANCIAL TIMES

©2024 Tom Baldwin (P)2024 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

'As well as being very well written, Baldwin obtained considerable access and he presents a compelling picture of what Starmer is like, and in particular how he was brought up. If you admire Starmer, you should definitely read it. And if you don’t like him, you should read it anyway, because he could be PM for the next 10 years and it may be a very long time before anyone produces a better or fairer account of what makes him tick'

ANDREW SPARROW, GUARDIAN

'The access is so comprehensive and his subject so uncharacteristically candid that exploring this private world can almost feel prurient… At times it is unclear whether Starmer grasps the significance of what he has done in cooperating with this biography’

PATRICK MAGUIRE, THE TIMES

'Told with sensitivity and simplicity… The picture painted of Sir Keir’s motivations and make-up is skillfully done, with all the nuance kept in'

BEN RILEY-SMITH, DAILY TELEGRAPH

‘A fair minded, unflashy biography…[of] our next serious Prime Minister. Watch this space. Attlee may have some competition’

ROBERT MCCRUM, INDEPENDENT

‘A highly informative, illuminating and insightful biography… the most complete portrait we have yet been offered’

OBSERVER

This will convert some of the doubters

I'm sympathetic to Labour, but not an uncritical supporter. I used to be a party member, but I gave up when it became a factional game of who can hate Blair the most ... Labour has spent 14 years in the wilderness and the Tories are now more unpopular than ever. It should be time for Starmer to lead the nation, but even Labour supporters are unsure. Some feel he is selling out and becoming Blair V2. Some feel he is boring and uninspiring. I certainly have not felt 100% on board with him as leader, but the insights in this book have changed my view. He is a much more interesting and complex character than the general press coverage ever suggests. If you want to understand who Starmer is and why he might be the next PM of the UK, this book is worth reading. It's fast-paced and easy to read - a sign of a good bio. I came away from the book thinking that for all his faults, Starmer would actually be a very good leader - he has integrity and he isn't in this just for a title or the power.

How boring it was!

It’s just very boring and dry. I stuck it to half way then gave up