London:

One of the first challenges for Keir Starmer as the UK Prime Minister will be to restore the Labour Party’s ties with India, which has been tumultuous due to their remarks on Kashmir. Starmer led the party to a landslide win in the general elections, a result that spelt doom for Rishi Sunak’s Conservative Party.  

In the past, the Labour Party has often come under fire for their stand on the Kashmir issue. Their stance has been in stark contrast with the British government’s view that Kashmir is a bilateral matter between India and Pakistan.

Under the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn, the party had in September 2019 passed an emergency motion seeking international observers to “enter” Kashmir and demand the right of self-determination for its people. It also called for Mr Corbyn to meet the high commissioners of both India and Pakistan to ensure there is “mediation” and restoration of peace and normality to prevent a potential nuclear conflict.

The resolution was slammed by India which called it an effort to “pander to vote-bank’s interest”.

Starmer, realising how important ties with the world’s fastest-growing economy are, set out on a mission to fix the missteps made by the party in the past. His manifesto included a commitment to pursue a “new strategic partnership” with India, emphasizing the trade agreement.

During meetings with the Indian diaspora and public addresses, Starmer affirmed that Kashmir is an internal issue and will be resolved by India and Pakistan.

“Any constitutional issues in India are a matter for the Indian Parliament, and Kashmir is a bilateral issue for India and Pakistan to resolve peacefully,” he said during a meeting with Labour Friends of India.

During his poll campaign, Starmer embarked on outreach efforts, denouncing Hinduphobia and celebrating cultural festivals like Diwali and Holi.

This policy adjustment aims to rebuild trust with the British-Indian community and foster stronger business ties with India, a critical aspect of Labour’s international agenda.

The Labour Party, out of power for over a decade, has also outlined a foreign policy of “progressive realism,” emphasizing pragmatic approaches to global challenges such as climate change and international security. Starmer’s manifesto includes plans for a new strategic partnership with India, focusing on trade agreements and cooperation in technology, security, education, and environmental issues.

Labour passed the magic number of 326 seats for a House of Commons majority just before 5 am on Friday, confirming a change of government that was predicted for months but is still a remarkable turnaround for Starmer’s party in a single electoral cycle. Starmer will now replace Sunak as prime minister on Friday, ending the Tories’ 14-year grip on power.

London:

A pragmatic, safe pair of hands or an uninspiring flip-flopper? Labour leader Keir Starmer is a former human rights lawyer currently on track to become Britain’s next prime minister.

When Starmer took charge of the party three years ago after the disastrous reign of socialist Jeremy Corbyn, he vowed to unite it and get it back on a path to power.

The 61-year-old has moved the main opposition back to the centre ground, quietened dissent among the left, and rooted out anti-Semitism within its ranks, making Labour an electable proposition.

“He has absolutely put Labour in a place where it could win the next general election, and a lot of people thought that was really, really ambitious and quite unlikely,” political scientist Karl Pike told AFP.

Labour heads into its annual conference in Liverpool, northwest England, this weekend enjoying double-digit leads in opinion polls ahead of a general election expected next year.

Many observers say that is largely down to chaotic Conservative rule that has resulted in three different prime ministers in four years, following upheaval over Brexit and the Covid pandemic.

A cost-of-living crisis and strikes plaguing several sectors are also seen as contributing to Britons’ desire for change after 13 years of Tory government, rather than overwhelming support for Starmer himself.

He has, in fact, negative approval ratings.

“He’s not an inspirational speaker. I mean, he’s not Tony Blair,” said Steven Fielding, a politics expert at the University of Nottingham and Labour party member.

“(But) I think Starmer has calculated that if he just presents himself as a sober, serious, boring person after all of the nonsense that’s gone on before… that will just be about enough to get through.”

Starmer, a keen footballer and Arsenal fan, was born in London, one of four siblings, to a toolmaker father and a nurse mother, both of whom were animal lovers who rescued donkeys.

“Whenever one of us left home, they replaced us with a donkey,” he has joked.

His unusual first name was his socialist parents’ tribute to Labour’s founding father, Keir Hardie.

At school he had violin lessons with Norman Cook, the former Housemartins bassist who became DJ Fatboy Slim.

After legal studies at the universities of Leeds and Oxford, Starmer turned his attention to radical causes, defending trades unions and anti-McDonald’s activists.

Mother’s death

The married father-of-two is friends with fellow human rights lawyer Amal Clooney from their time together at the same legal practice.

In 2003, he began his move to the establishment with a job ensuring police in Northern Ireland complied with human rights legislation.

Five years later, he was appointed director of public prosecutions for England and Wales by the then Labour government.

Between 2008 and 2013, he oversaw the prosecution of MPs for abusing their expenses, journalists for phone-hacking, and young rioters involved in 2011 unrest across England.

He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II and in 2015, was elected as a member of parliament, representing a seat in left-leaning north London.

Just weeks before he was elected, his mother died of a rare disease of the joints.

In 2021 he broke down in tears in a TV interview as he described how her agonising death “broke” his father.

In 2016, Starmer joined a rebellion by Labour MPs over Corbyn’s perceived lack of leadership during the EU referendum campaign.

It failed, and later that year he rejoined the top team as Labour’s Brexit spokesman, where he remained until succeeding Corbyn in April 2020.

Starmer has endured attacks from the Tories for dropping a number of pledges he made during his successful leadership campaign, including scrapping university tuition fees.

Critics say he is indecisive and accuse him of failing to spell out a clear vision for the country.

Supporters, though, say he is right to keep his cards close to his chest until an election date is announced.

“He probably is right to be cautious but I think his egg is about to hatch now and we’ll see more from him in the coming months,” Dave Mullaney, a 54-year-old Labour party activist in the southwestern city of Bristol, told AFP.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has sparked a social media debate with his recent comments on transgender people. During his closing speech at the 2023 Conservative Party conference on October 4, he shared his stance on gender debate and said, “A man is a man and a woman is a woman”. 

Addressing the conference, he noted, “We shouldn’t get bullied into believing that people can be any sex they want to be – they can’t. A man is a man and a woman is a woman. That’s just common sense.”

”We are going to change this country and that means, life means life. That shouldn’t be a controversial position. The vast majority of hard-working people agree with it. It also shouldn’t be controversial for parents to know what their children are learning in school about relationships. Patients should know when hospitals are talking about men or women,” he added. 

Couldn’t believe it when I heard these words coming out his mouth

“We shouldn’t be bullied into thinking anyone can be any sex that they want to be. A man is a man and a woman is a woman, that is just common sense.”

Transphobic much? #trans#RishiSunak#PoliticsLivepic.twitter.com/sv3butBaad

— Julia M (@Julia_Milligan1) October 4, 2023

Though some supported his views, many were angry for making ”disrespectful” comments towards the transgender community. Some mocked him saying that his remarks are far away from ”common sense.”

One user said, ”The persistent attacks on not only one of the smallest but most at-risk communities are vile. Absolutely disgusting party through and through including anyone who supports them.”

Another commented, ”I’m so fed up with Sunak talking up the importance of maths, yet his biology knowledge is so poor. Biological sex is so complicated and interesting and not at all “common sense”. This is before getting involved in the gender argument that affects the trans debate.”

A third said, ”Sunak does not seem to grasp the difference between sex and gender. The Tory party is getting more and more radical by the minute, it’s scary.” A fourth agreed with him saying, ”That’s about as much truth as someone in government has spoken in a long time.”

Notably, his comments come after Health Secretary Steve Barclay on October 3 proposed a plan to ban transgender women from being treated in female hospital wards in England. The health secretary also confirmed sex-specific language would be used when dealing with women’s health, as per Sky News.  The proposal sparked a backlash from moderate Tory MPs, who fear LGBTQ+ people are being targeted.

Mr Sunak’s stance on transgender rights was clear when he said in April that ”women do not have penises.”  In an interview with ConservativeHome, Mr Sunak was asked about his thoughts on a statement claiming “99.9 percent of women, of course, do not have penises”.

“What percentage would you put it at?” Mr Sunak was asked. The UK PM laughed at the question, however, when grilled about whether he thought the figure was actually 100 percent, Mr Sunak replied, “Yeah, of course.”

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has sparked a social media debate with his recent comments on transgender people. During his closing speech at the 2023 Conservative Party conference on October 4, he shared his stance on gender debate and said, “A man is a man and a woman is a woman”. 

Addressing the conference, he noted, “We shouldn’t get bullied into believing that people can be any sex they want to be – they can’t. A man is a man and a woman is a woman. That’s just common sense.”

”We are going to change this country and that means, life means life. That shouldn’t be a controversial position. The vast majority of hard-working people agree with it. It also shouldn’t be controversial for parents to know what their children are learning in school about relationships. Patients should know when hospitals are talking about men or women,” he added. 

Couldn’t believe it when I heard these words coming out his mouth

“We shouldn’t be bullied into thinking anyone can be any sex that they want to be. A man is a man and a woman is a woman, that is just common sense.”

Transphobic much? #trans#RishiSunak#PoliticsLivepic.twitter.com/sv3butBaad

— Julia M (@Julia_Milligan1) October 4, 2023

Though some supported his views, many were angry for making ”disrespectful” comments towards the transgender community. Some mocked him saying that his remarks are far away from ”common sense.”

One user said, ”The persistent attacks on not only one of the smallest but most at-risk communities are vile. Absolutely disgusting party through and through including anyone who supports them.”

Another commented, ”I’m so fed up with Sunak talking up the importance of maths, yet his biology knowledge is so poor. Biological sex is so complicated and interesting and not at all “common sense”. This is before getting involved in the gender argument that affects the trans debate.”

A third said, ”Sunak does not seem to grasp the difference between sex and gender. The Tory party is getting more and more radical by the minute, it’s scary.” A fourth agreed with him saying, ”That’s about as much truth as someone in government has spoken in a long time.”

Notably, his comments come after Health Secretary Steve Barclay on October 3 proposed a plan to ban transgender women from being treated in female hospital wards in England. The health secretary also confirmed sex-specific language would be used when dealing with women’s health, as per Sky News.  The proposal sparked a backlash from moderate Tory MPs, who fear LGBTQ+ people are being targeted.

Mr Sunak’s stance on transgender rights was clear when he said in April that ”women do not have penises.”  In an interview with ConservativeHome, Mr Sunak was asked about his thoughts on a statement claiming “99.9 percent of women, of course, do not have penises”.

“What percentage would you put it at?” Mr Sunak was asked. The UK PM laughed at the question, however, when grilled about whether he thought the figure was actually 100 percent, Mr Sunak replied, “Yeah, of course.”