Keir Starmer and his renewed Labour Party won a landslide election victory in Great Britain on July 4, ending 14 years of Conservative Party rule. The defeat for the Conservatives is the worst in its nearly two-century history.
Starmer took over the leadership of the Labour Party in 2019 after its electoral defeat under Jeremy Corbyn, a left-wing leader and harsh critic of Israel. During Corbyn’s Labour Party reign, he and the party faced repeated allegations of antisemitism and lost significant Jewish support.
Under Starmer’s leadership, Labour has moved more toward the center, become less doctrinaire and has made significant efforts to root out antisemitism. Starmer’s campaign focused on a promise of “change.” And the change he offered is straight-laced leadership and middle-of-the-road politics, led by a man who was once the country’s no-nonsense chief prosecutor.
Starmer is disciplined and focused on his work and speaks plainly, directly and credibly. Voters believed his promise: “If you put your trust in me by voting Labour, I will change the country.”
Starmer, whose wife, Victoria, is Jewish, makes it a point to be with his family every Friday night to welcome the Shabbat together. According to Starmer, “Every week there’s a challah, and we say kiddush.”
Starmer’s stance on Israel is supportive. He has emphasized Israel’s right to defend itself while advocating for peace and a two-state solution. He has advocated for a permanent cease-fire in Gaza, contingent on the release of hostages and the exclusion of Hamas from any future Palestinian government.
But, according to reports, Starmer’s pro-Israel sympathy was not without consequence. Thus, despite its landslide win in the election, Labour lost several seats to a strong showing from pro-Palestinian independent candidates in reaction of Starmer’s position on Israel’s war in Gaza.
But neither Israel nor antisemitism was the focus of Starmer’s campaign. Instead, he campaigned on five populist “missions” of high growth, safe streets, breaking down “barriers of opportunity,” turning Britain into a “clean energy superpower” and revamping Britain’s ailing National Health Service.
Although he opposed Britain’s departure from the European Union — which a majority of British voters now see as a mistake — he didn’t promise a quick or easy solution.
Starmer is a pragmatist, who blends a philosophical progressiveness with a moderate temperament. He encourages incremental change rather than more dramatic policy shifts. In his words, “People need hope, but it needs to be realistic hope.”
We wish Keir Starmer much success.
