Starmer Emphasizes Link Between Foreign and Domestic Policy
Sir Keir Starmer has cautioned his likely successor, Andy Burnham, that he will need to dedicate as much time to addressing global instability as he did during his tenure at No 10.
In a notably candid interview, the outgoing prime minister spoke for the first time about the "intensely personal" and "really tough" decision he made with his wife and children to accept that his "political career" was "over."
Sir Keir told the BBC that he had "saved" the Labour Party and had been a successful prime minister.
He pledged to "keep my mouth shut" under his successor, affirming that he liked Burnham and that the two had "always got on."
During his two years as prime minister, which he marks this weekend, Sir Keir faced frequent criticism regarding the amount of time he spent on the international stage, with detractors dubbing him "never here Keir."
Among Burnham's parliamentary supporters are those who hope he will concentrate more on domestic issues such as the cost of living and public services.
"It is not sensible to think you can just separate these two things out," Sir Keir said.
When asked if a prime minister could spend less time on diplomacy than he did, he responded:
"No, I don't think it is possible."
He added:
"There's often this discussion - what's the right balance between dealing with international affairs and dealing with domestic affairs? They're one and the same thing."
Sir Keir continued:
"Whoever's my successor is going to face the same global conflict. We keep saying, and it's true, we're in a more dangerous and volatile world than we've been in for probably most of my lifetime. That's not just a phrase, that's reality.
That's not going to change. And the domestic challenges aren't going to change."
Andy Burnham has ruled out calling an early general election if he becomes prime minister later this month.
Decision to Resign Was Deeply Personal
Having repeatedly vowed to continue as prime minister, including facing any challengers in a Labour leadership election, Sir Keir ultimately reversed his position and resigned within three days of Burnham's victory in the Makerfield by-election.
He described the decision as "really, really tough," which he reached that weekend with his wife, Victoria, and their teenage children at Chequers, the prime minister's countryside residence.
"I grappled with what was the best thing to do for me, for the country, for the government," Sir Keir said. "And those discussions inevitably start with many discussions with colleagues, with parliamentary colleagues, with the team here, with my immediate advisers, with trade unions, so many people in that discussion.
But for me, and this may be different for other people, in the end it became an intensely personal decision. And that's why it was a decision taken ultimately when Vic and I were away with the kids. We went to Chequers and just spent two days together as a family. And that's when I came to my final decision."
He added: "Taking the decision that your political career is over, it is an intensely personal matter, or at least it was for me. I wanted to do that with Vic, and that's what I did."
Support for Successor and Reflection on Leadership
Sir Keir appeared to acknowledge that his successor is almost certainly Burnham, although at times he referred to "whoever my successor is" and noted there was "a little bit of process to go."
He stated he had "never had any personal animosity" towards the former Greater Manchester mayor and that he would "do everything I possibly can to make sure" the next government succeeds.
Sir Keir committed to remaining an MP until at least the next election but said he would be "keeping my mouth shut, rather than giving constant advice to my successor about what they should be doing."
He emphasized that his four years as Labour leader in opposition are "absolutely core" to his legacy.
Describing Labour when he became leader as "politically, financially and morally bankrupt," he said it had been "hard and bloody work."
Sir Keir said that in electoral terms his success should be compared with Clement Attlee's 1945 victory and Sir Tony Blair's 1997 win.
"The Labour Party arguably could have been lost, but I stepped up as leader and with others we saved the Labour Party."
However, he said he was ousted because Labour MPs no longer believed he was "the right person to take us into the next election."
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