LONDON — Barring an almighty upset, Keir Starmer will become British prime minister Friday , his Labour Party ousting the ruling Conservatives after 14 years. But for a man on the verge of ruling this key American ally , the world’s sixth-largest economy, there is little consensus about what kind of leader Starmer, 61, will become or even what kind of man he is. He has the most blue-collar upbringing of any candidate in a generation while at the same time being the first since the 1950s to already have the title “Sir” after having been knighted by the monarchy.
He is a vegetarian and a self-described socialist but also a hate figure for many leftists who accuse him of veering rightward in search of power. And while friends describe him as an affable but hypercompetitive soccer fanatic, in public he often appears stiff and lacking charisma. Ultimately, the biggest paradox is that Starmer might be about to win a landslide while much of public opinion about him is lukewarm.
For those who do have views on Starmerism, there are two general camps: Supporters say he deftly mixes progressive values with real-world pragmatism; critics argue he is an apolitical shape-shifter who will say whatever’s fashionable and necessary to win. Leftists say Starmer first betrayed them in 2020 when he ran for the Labour leadership . He campaigned on a now notorious set of “10 pledges,” which included reviewing arms sales, taxing the rich and bringing utilities under public ownership.
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