Keir Starmer looks set to throw his hat into the ring after Labour suffered its worst General Election defeat since 1935.
The former shadow Brexit secretary said he is seriously considering a run at succeeding Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader, and made a plea for the party to return to being a “broad church”.
He urged Labour not to stray “too far from its values” and called for it to continue a radical stance.
And he issued a dark warning about what Boris Johnson is capable of, saying:
“My fear is that they have a majority now to do pretty much as they like.
“They have a leader who I don’t think has any moral compass, I don’t think there’s anywhere he won’t go to stay in power.”
“There’s no victory without values”
Lining himself up as the man who could put the stoppers on the Conservatives’ rampant march, Starmer said Labour needs to anchor itself in aspirations of a “bold and radical government”.
He said: “I want trust to be restored in the Labour party as a progressive force for good: and that means we have to win.
“But there’s no victory without values.”
Sir Keir is among several contenders tipped to become the next Labour leader, with shadow business secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey currently the favourite.
But his impressive CV may tip the dial in his favour.
We take a look at some of his credentials below:
– 2007 QC of the Year
In 2007 Sir Keir was named the QC of the Year in the field of human rights and public law by the UK-wide legal directory, Chambers & Partners.
– Knightood for pro bono work
He was appointed the Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in the 2014 New Year Honours list for his outstanding contribution to pro bono work in challenging the death penalty across the Caribbean and also in Uganda, Kenya and Malawi.
– 6 honorary doctorate degrees
He has six honorary doctorate degrees, including one from the London School of Economics.
On picking up the aforementioned award, LSE Professor Conor Gearty, who read the oration at the ceremony, said: “Throughout his career, Keir Starmer has been a leader amongst academics and practitioners in human rights law.
“He has transformed the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and made an outstanding contribution to criminal justice policy in the UK, bringing a new culture of openness and public accountability to prosecutorial discretion.
– 8 scholarly books on human rights
Stamer has worked on eight scholarly books on human rights, including one on the Human Rights Act 1998 and the European Convention on Human Rights and a book on European Human Rights Law.
– Helped abolish the death penalty in several countries
Sir Keir has worked to eradicate the death penalty in the Caribbean, Africa and most recently in Taiwan, where he made a four-day trip with the Foreign Office to meet with the country’s vice-president, minister of justice and senior judiciary. At the time, there were more than 40 prisoners on death row in the republic.
Related: Tony Blair launches scathing attack of Jeremy Corbyn following election defeat