The first Aularian Prime Minister – Sir Keir Starmer

St Edmund Hall proudly extends its congratulations to Sir Keir Starmer on becoming the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom as well as to Mel Stride and Nick Thomas-Symonds on being re-elected to Parliament. Sir Keir is the first Aularian to have held the office.

On behalf of the entire College community, I would like to offer sincere congratulations to Sir Keir Starmer on becoming Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. We are deeply proud of all he has achieved as a distinguished alumnus of the Hall and he will, I am sure, lead the country judiciously during these challenging times.
– Professor Baroness Willis, Principal of St Edmund Hall

Sir Keir – an Honorary Fellow of St Edmund Hall – matriculated in 1985 to read for a Bachelor of Civil Law (BCL). He was called to the Bar in 1987 and appointed Queen’s Counsel in 2002. From 2003 to 2008, he was the human rights advisor to the Policing Board in Northern Ireland before serving as Director of Public Prosecutions and Head of the Crown Prosecution Service from 2008 to 2013. Sir Keir has been the MP for Holborn and St Pancras since 2015 and was elected as Leader of the Labour Party on 4 April 2020.

When I arrived at St Edmund Hall, I had a first-class degree from Leeds University behind me. But I was still not clear what path I should take next. My time at St Edmund Hall – an intense year studying for the BCL – confirmed me in my choice of pursuing a career as a human rights advocate, both here in the UK and abroad. From then on, I did not look back!
– Sir Keir Starmer on his time at Oxford

Mel Stride (1981, PPE), a member of the Conservative party, retained his seat in Central Devon, as did Labour Aularian Nick Thomas-Symonds (1998, PPE), MP for Torfaen.

Many congratulations to all!