was officially awarded his in 2014, a year before he became an MP.Â
Sir Keir’s was awarded for for “services to law and “.
These services related to Sir Keir’s five year tenure as the Director of and Head of the . The Director of Public Prosecutions is responsible for deciding which prosecutions are pursued by the .
It is normal for the Director of to be knighted after completing their tenure. The previous two occupants of this post, Sir David Calvert-Smith QC (1998-2003), and Sir Ken Macdonald QC (2003-2008), were also both knighted.
Prior to his appointment as the Director of Prosecutions, Starmer was a lawyer. He served as the joint head of Doughty Street Chambers, and was appointed a Queen’s Counsel in 2002. Starmer also acted as a adviser to the Policing Board
Among the many cases that Starmer was involved with were the legal battles to remove the death penalty in the Caribbean and Africa, and the famous McLibel case involving MacDonalds.
In a television interview with in 2021, spoke about how his late mother was alive to see him become a Sir, but that she passed away before being able to see him become the for Holborn and St Pancras.
Is the a problem for ?
Since becoming , has had some difficulties in cutting through to voters.
In 2022, in the face of the partygate scandal involving the prime minister, and the most significant cost of living crisis for a generation, Sir Keir’s This compares with the constant 20% lead in the polls that was regularly enjoyed by during the period 1992-1997 when John Major was .
In May 2022, Starmer possessed a negative approval rating of minus 10% according to the polling firm, Opinium. Polling firms showed ‘s popularity to be only a little bit ahead of .
Although some people suggest that Sir Keir’s is a useful marker to his wider experiences, others see the as a barrier in his bid to enter . It is often said that being known as a ‘Sir’ can make appear out of touch to many .
makes much of his upbringing where his mother was a nurse and his dad was a toolmaker. However, with many voters not studying the day to day intricacies of , ‘s back story has not cut through to everyone.
By contrast, the is something that people immediately observe, and which can potentially make the appear out of touch and aloof from ordinary people.
‘s is also something that can be used against him by satirists. For example, after the commenced an investigation into a event in Durham attended by some people starting calling him .
Does like his ?
himself has previously said in interviews that he does not like formal titles.
Nonetheless did accept the honour, and as such, it is hard to judge his true opinion of his .
In the past, others with stated reservations about the honours system have previously refused honours. These include the world famous physicist, Professor Stephen Hawking, who turned down a in the mid 1990s.
