From Battling McDonalds to MPs

Norma Harris, LawFuel Contributor

Newly annointed UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer entered politics relatively late, but enjoyed a notable legal career as both a prosecutor and a human rights lawyer before embarking on his political career.

As a human rights lawyer he took on major cases involving death penalty issues and as head of the public prosecutions services he took on the role of a reformer who made the service more effective at a time of major cutbacks.

He is more focused on outcomes and practical realities focused most recently, as The Economist noted, on getting into power.

Legal Education and Early Career

Born in 1962 in London he grew up in Surrey. He attended Reigate Grammar School and went on to study law at the University of Leeds, graduating with a Bachelor of Laws degree in 1985. 

He earned a postgraduate Bachelor of Civil Law degree at St Edmund Hall, Oxford University in 1986 and was called to the bar in 1987 at Middle Temple. 

He began his legal career as a barrister, focusing primarily on human rights issues. In 1990, he joined Doughty Street Chambers, where he would later become joint head in 2002.

Major Cases and Specializations

Throughout his legal career, Starmer worked on several high-profile cases, which demonstrated his sense of social justice, as well as his inclination to tackle major corporates and power players. Among the most notable:

1. Death Penalty Cases: He defended convicts sentenced to death in several Caribbean countries, contributing to the abolition of the mandatory death penalty in those jurisdictions.
2. McLibel Case: Starmer assisted Helen Steel and David Morris in their defense against McDonald’s in the famous McLibel trial, both in English courts and at the European Court of Human Rights. As a young barrister at Doughty Street Chambers in the 1990s, Starmer provided free legal advice and support to Helen Steel and David Morris, two environmental activists sued by McDonald’s for libel. 
3. Human Rights Advocacy: He worked on cases involving torture evidence admissibility and challenged control orders for terrorist suspects in British courts and Strasbourg.
4. International Work: Starmer served as a human rights adviser to the Northern Ireland Policing Board from 2003 to 2008, which he later cited as a key influence on his decision to pursue a political career.

He represented Steel and Morris at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in their case against the UK government, which challenged the fairness of UK libel laws and the lack of legal aid in such cases, ultimately resulting in a landmark ruling in favor of the activists.

Career Progression and Achievements

1. Starmer was appointed Queen’s Counsel (QC) in 2002 at the age of 39.
2. He contributed to several publications on human rights and civil liberties, including the authoritative “European Human Rights Law”.
3. In 2005, Starmer won the Bar Council’s Sydney Elland Goldsmith award for his outstanding contribution to pro bono work in challenging the death penalty in the Caribbean, Uganda, Kenya, and Malawi.
4. In 2008, Starmer was appointed as the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and Head of the Crown Prosecution Service, serving until 2013.

As DPP, Starmer oversaw several significant cases and initiatives, including the Stephen Lawrence murder where he helped bring Stephen Lawrence’s murderers to justice.

1. Starmer prosecuted MPs for misuse of expenses in the MPs ‘expenses scandal’.
2. He changed guidance to better support victims of sexual and domestic violence and during his tenure, there was an increase in overall prosecutions. However his tenure was not without controversy, too. Between 2008 and 2013, he was responsible for criminal prosecutions in England and Wales overseeing many controversial cases, as well as many decisions not to prosecute.
3. One of the most controversial cases during his tenure was that of Jimmy Savile, the DJ and TV presenter who was never brought to justice for his many sexual abuse and rape offences despite a large number of victims coming forward to report the crimes.

Transition to Politics

After leaving his role as DPP, Starmer was knighted in 2014 for his services to law and criminal justice. He entered politics in 2015, when he was elected as the Labour MP for Holborn and St Pancras.

Throughout his legal career, Starmer built a reputation as a committed human rights advocate and skilled barrister, but his new challenge leading the very large Labour Party following their thumping victory over the Conservative Party will serve to test his skills as an adept political leader melding various factions into a cohesive unit. His legal skills will doubtless be at the forefront of those efforts.