Ahead of the general election, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer was open about his concerns over the impact his high-profile political career could have on his family.
The politician, who has been voted in as Prime Minister, and his wife Victoria Starmer currently live in a Camden townhouse thought to be worth £1.75 million alongside their two children: a 15-year-old son and a 13-year-old daughter.
© Karwai TangSpeaking about the prospect of moving into 11 Downing Street, the official residence of the UK Prime Minister, Victoria told The Times: "If it happens, I won’t want to leave Kentish Town."
Praising her partner, she added: "I don’t think Keir will be any different. He’s always been the same. He’ll push through the hard stuff because it’s how to get things done. And we’ll do what we need to do too."
© GettyMeanwhile, Keir had his family at the forefront of his mind. "These are really important ages. It will have an impact on their lives and I’m worried," he said, adding that he asks himself "over and over again – particularly at the moment with so much online abuse directed at politicians – how I protect my family as we go into this."
He even recently came under fire after admitting that he occasionally prioritises home life over work. "We’ve had a structure in place that I try to keep to, which is to carve out really protected time for the kids. So on a Friday – I’ve been doing this for years – I will not do a work-related thing after six o’clock, pretty well come what may," he told Chris Evans on Virgin Radio in July.
"Now there are a few exceptions, but that’s what we do," he added. Several Conservatives took to social media to criticise his decision, suggesting it would be a threat to national security to be off-duty, but many others leapt to Keir's defence.
See everything you need to know about Keir's wife and private children…
Keir and Victoria's sassy first encounter
© PoolThe couple's love story did not begin smoothly, with then-lawyer Victoria cussing at the former barrister over the phone in 2000. Keir explained on Piers Morgan's Life Stories in 2020: "I was doing a case in court and it all depended on whether the documents were accurate.
"I [asked my colleagues] who actually drew up these documents, they said a woman called Victoria, so I said let's get her on the line." Just before ending the phone call, he heard her mutter: "Who the [expletive] does he think he is?"
© PA Images / Alamy Stock PhotoFar from being put off, the member of parliament for Holborn and St Pancras fondly recalled his first encounter with "sassy" Victoria during an interview with Vogue.
"You might think, 'Not the best of starts,' but it was absolutely classic Vic. Very sassy, very down to earth, no nonsense from anyone, including from me."
The conversation went much more smoothly when they met for the second time at a legal dinner, where Victoria shared her vegetarian meal with him. They went on to have their first date at the Lord Stanley pub in Camden, and Victoria later joked: "At least he walked me to the bus stop afterwards and waved at me when it left, so he got a tick for that."
Stately home wedding
Keir and Victoria got married in May 2007 after he had popped the question spontaneously while they were on holiday in Greece. In response, she quipped: "Won’t we need a ring, Keir?"
They tied the knot at the Fennes Estate in Essex, walking down the aisle inside the Georgian manor house set on 100 acres of grounds.
Promoting his political campaign, Keir shared a rare wedding photo as part of a video montage on Instagram captioned: "I grew up working class. I’ve been fighting all my life. As Prime Minister, I’ll fight for you."
He was pictured in a suit and striped blue tie with long dark hair swept back, while his bride looked stunning in a strapless wedding dress with a fitted bodice and a bow at the back. They posed with his parents, craftsman Rod and his mother Jo, who was in a wheelchair after being diagnosed with Still’s disease at age 10.
Family fears
© Leon NealKeir has made every effort to protect his family amid his high-profile career, even going so far as to conceal his children's names.
The 61-year-old admitted his wife did not sign up for life in the public eye, since his career developed later in life. After working as Director of Public Prosecutions from 2008 to 2013, he won the seat for Holborn and St Pancras in 2015 and was elected as Labour leader in 2020.
The Leader of the Opposition said on Sunday Moring With Trevor Phillips: "[Victoria] didn't necessarily sign up to it, but she is absolutely centrally part of it. We've waited a long time for 2024, I am really glad this year is here.
"I want this fight, the only thing which keeps me up at night is our children because they are 13 and 15. Those are difficult ages - it will impact them. We don't name them in public. We don't do photographs with them and they go to the local school.
"I am desperately trying to protect them in that way, but I know it is going to be hard and I do worry about that."
© Christopher FurlongWhile his social media is largely dedicated to his work, Keir made a rare comment about his home life, describing his wife - who now works in occupational health for the NHS - as "brilliant" and "gorgeous" and his kids as "happy and confident."
"She's a streetwise grounded, brilliant, gorgeous woman who wants as far as she can to get on with her own life and to protect it," he told the Sunday Mirror.
"She loves working for the NHS. She loves the team that she's working with. And she and I are doing our best to raise two happy and confident children and that matters hugely to us."
Victoria is a bonafide Swifty!
It's safe to say that Victoria is a Swifty and was spotted pledging her allegiance to Taylor's sixth album, Reputation, during the first leg of the singer's London tour dates. Honouring the theme of the album, Victoria opted for a dark and edgy look for the special occasion. Meanwhile, Sir Keir was dressed down in an open shirt jacket and a T-shirt, Victoria pulled out all the stops, wearing a fringed leather vest atop a simple pair of blue denim jeans.
The husband and wife duo appeared to be in a VIP box, perhaps joined by their 13-year-old daughter and 15-year-old son, who they have shielded from the limelight.
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