She has been nicknamed Sir Keir Starmer’s ‘reluctant First Woman’.
As an alternative of being accompanied by Woman Victoria Starmer to his manifesto launch right this moment, the Labour chief sat subsequent to most cancers sufferer Nathaniel Dye and labored the room along with his deputy Angela Rayner.
Whereas she is ever-present on polling day and at Labour conferences, ‘Woman Vic’, as she is understood fondly in get together circles, has been lacking from the election marketing campaign fully.
The final main public occasion she attended together with her husband seems to have been a state banquet at Buckingham Palace final November.
Social gathering insiders have claimed that her absence is to guard the couple’s youngsters as a result of they’re ‘fully freaked out by the concept of being in Downing Road and the general public eye’. Their oldest son can also be taking his GCSEs this month.
However some near the Labour chief, branded a ‘political robotic’ on the Sky Information debate final evening, consider that he would profit from her assist as a result of his ‘no-nonsense’ and ‘sassy’ spouse has no qualms about ‘telling individuals about the true Keir’.
Her straight-talking was clear from their first assembly in round 2000 when she slammed down the telephone after yelling: ‘Who the f*** does he assume he’s?’ By 2007 they have been married.
Sir Keir and Woman Victoria attend Buckingham Palace for the State Banquet held in honour of South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol final November – the final public occasion they attended collectively. Insiders say she is concentrated on their youngsters, certainly one of whom is doing his GCSEs
Labour Social gathering chief Sir Keir Starmer and deputy Labour chief Angela Rayner following the launch of his get together’s manifesto at Co-op HQ in Manchester right this moment
Victoria pictured with Sir Keir throughout a rely for the 2017 basic election. She has change into a extra public companion of her politico husband in recent times – however she nonetheless stays reluctant to be within the limelight
Sir Keir and Victoria along with his mother and father Josephine and Rodney, taken on their marriage ceremony day in 2007
Sir Keir and Woman Victoria clapping for key staff outdoors their dwelling in London in Might 2020. Woman Vic works within the NHS and won’t hand over her job if her husband turns into PM
In an inauspicious begin to their relationship, Britain’s potential First Couple had an almighty row that ended with a bathe of expletives from Mrs Starmer who then advised him to get misplaced.
What sparked the cascade of swears? Her future husband asking if she was ‘100 per cent positive’ her work was right.
Sir Keir later advised Vogue: ‘It was completely basic Vic. Very sassy, very all the way down to earth, no nonsense from anybody, together with from me’.
Undeterred, he requested her down the pub to make up for his blunder. She gave him a second probability and quick ahead to right this moment they’ve been married for 17 years.
‘Woman Vic’ left legislation and retrained to be an occupational well being therapist for the NHS in Camden, the place they nonetheless stay with their two teenage youngsters.
Insiders have advised that the shock election referred to as by Rishi Sunak could not have occurred at a worse time for the household as a result of the couple’s 15-year-old son is in the midst of his GCSE exams.
Final evening Sir Keir gave a serious trace about why his spouse has stayed away, admitting that she had not wished him to be a politician within the first place.
When he was accused of being a ‘political robotic’, he mentioned: ‘She thought it would be much better to proceed being a lawyer on an inexpensive wage and never have all the challenges that you just get as a politician.
‘However I used to be clear in my thoughts, I wished to return into politics as a result of I wished to serve my nation.’
Labour has been fairly clear that there’ll no interviews with Mrs Starmer earlier than July 4.
And insiders have advised that her absence could be very a lot a part of her husband’s plan, particularly if he’s heading to No 10 Downing Road – though some consider it’s a mistake.
A Labour MP advised The Telegraph: ‘It is an actual disgrace. Sir Keir is principled, robust, strategic and decided – the sort of man who’s a planner and can make a wonderful prime minister. However the hassle is, he would not have the charisma for campaigning. He may actually do along with his spouse telling individuals about the true Keir.’
Labour Social gathering chief Sir Keir Starmer delivers a speech on stage in the course of the launching of Labour Social gathering election manifesto, in Manchester
Labour Social gathering chief Sir Keir Starmer speaks with most cancers sufferer Nathaniel Dye who’s a music instructor and a musician
Labour Social gathering chief Sir Keir Starmer and Angela Rayner, Deputy Chief communicate with supporters
Requested about his largest concern if he turns into prime minister, Sir Keir replied on the Sky Information debate: ‘The one actual concern I suppose I’ve is for my household.’
He mentioned his son is sort of 16 years previous and his daughter 13.
Sir Keir mentioned: ‘My solely concern actually is the affect it may have on them. That is why we by no means identify them in public, by no means have a photoshoot with them, I would like them to have the ability to stroll to high school and have their very own lives.
‘I do not concern the large selections, in actual fact I relish the possibility to alter our nation.’
One insider mentioned that he desires privateness for his household, particularly his youngsters who’re at ‘actually troublesome ages’
The insiders mentioned: ‘They have youngsters who’re fully freaked out by the concept of being in Downing Road or in any method being within the public eye.
‘It’s got fairly heavy lately with youngsters’s sneakers, representing the useless youngsters in Gaza, being left outdoors the Starmer home – Sir Keir is decided that his household will not be dragged into any of this.’
Earlier this month the Labour chief mentioned his spouse will not hand over her work if he turns into Prime Minister.
He mentioned of Victoria: ‘She’s completely going to hold on working, she desires to and he or she loves it. It is also good for me as a result of it provides me an perception into the NHS.’
Sir Keir Starmer and his spouse Victoria heading out to vote in north London within the Might native elections
The pair share a kiss on stage in the course of the 2023 Labour Social gathering convention, additionally held in Liverpool
Victoria and Sir Keir strolling into the 2022 Labour Social gathering convention in Liverpool. She has not been afraid to be pictured in public – however just isn’t seen as a typical ‘political partner’
It is not the primary time the potential future PM has spoken about his spouse’s work within the well being service – regardless of her keenness to stay out of the limelight.
Sir Keir mentioned he wished his teenage son’s schooling to be ‘untroubled’ by a possible transfer to No 10.
He mentioned: ‘Our boy is in the midst of his GCSEs. For the time being I simply wish to create the setting the place he can get on with what he is obtained to get on with as untroubled as he might be.
‘He is obtained 21 exams. My job is simply to create house for him to get on with that.’
In contrast to the incumbent prime minister Rishi Sunak’s spouse Akshata Murty – a multi-millionaire heiress to IT agency Infosys’s $70billion (£54.9bn) fortune – little is understood of Woman Victoria Starmer.
Sir Keir himself has mentioned that she ‘has her personal life and protects it vigorously’ – as he advised the Sunday Mirror.
Nonetheless, she just isn’t an invisible partner, and usually seems with Sir Keir at public occasions and Labour get together conferences. She stood on the doorstep to clap for carers, and stepped out together with her husband to vote within the Might native elections.
Comparisons have been made with Sarah Brown, spouse of one-time Labour PM Gordon – somebody who was content material to be within the background with their very own pursuits to pursue outdoors of their partner’s politics.
Sir Keir met Victoria Alexander whereas the pair labored as attorneys. Their first contact was a clumsy telephone name that ended together with her muttering ‘Who the f*** does he assume he’s?’ after he requested whether or not paperwork she had drawn up have been correct.
‘(She) then put the telephone down on me. And fairly proper too,’ mentioned Sir Keir in a 2020 Piers Morgan’s Life Tales interview.
Undeterred, the long run Labour chief requested her on a date to the Lord Stanley pub in Camden within the early 2000s, and so they married in 2007.
Woman Victoria is seen usually in public together with her husband – together with right here on the Platinum Jubilee celebrations for the late Queen Elizabeth II in June 2022
The couple pictured right here in Liverpool in the course of the 2023 Labour Social gathering convention
They now share a £1.75million Kentish City dwelling with their two youngsters – a young person named Toby and a youthful daughter whose identify has not been made public.
Woman Victoria is Jewish, and Sir Keir has mentioned he tries to uphold the Shabbat custom of Friday evening dinners as typically as attainable – regardless of being an atheist himself.
He beforehand advised the Mirror: ‘She’s a streetwise grounded, sensible, beautiful girl who desires so far as she will be able to to get on together with her personal life and to guard it.
‘She loves working for the NHS. She loves the workforce that she’s working with.
‘And she or he and I are doing our greatest to lift two glad and assured youngsters and that issues vastly to us.’
Outdoors of her NHS work, she has additionally served as additionally a governor at her youngsters’s faculty in Camden borough. Briefly, she has loads to be getting on with ought to her husband change into the brand new tenant in No 10.
As one insider presciently advised The Telegraph in 2021: ‘If he ever will get into Downing Road, she’s going to be very a lot main her personal life.’
