Starmer, a knighted barrister and former director of public prosecutions, took 56.2 percent of the vote on Saturday, fending off a challenge from two of his rivals in the party: Rebecca Long-Bailey, a Corbyn loyalist, and Lisa Nandy. "I will continue to champion progressive social democracy and a political culture that is inclusive, diverse and respects the opinions of others," he wrote.

Tim Bale, a professor of politics at London’s Queen Mary University, told Al Jazeera the “downside [of winning the Labour leadership] is that Starmer probably won’t see the immediate boost in the polls that many new leaders experience” during to the pandemic. “He’s an intelligent man, has his [legal] background … comes across as balanced and has gravitas.”, Congratulations to @Keir_Starmer, the new Leader of the Labour Party!#LabourLeadership pic.twitter.com/i2PjxXaWMf, — The Labour Party (@UKLabour) April 4, 2020. The coronavirus outbreak has brought a more immediate challenge. “Starmer has a respected legal brain, which, against Johnson, could be quite effective.”. “The upside is that journalists won’t be scrutinising his each and every move, watching and waiting for – and pouncing on – every misstep,” he added.

But the UK that would emerge from the health crisis remains shrouded in uncertainty, and so does Starmer’s role within it. Starmer himself vowed to reunite Labour, after deep rifts between supporters of socialist Corbyn's hard-left ideals and centrists, and wrangling over its Brexit strategy.

Unlike other British political parties, Labour deputy leaders are elected by party members and have an independent power base.

Named after Labour’s first member of Parliament, Scotsman Keir Hardie, Starmer, 57, graduated from Oxford in 1986 and became a barrister, focusing on human rights laws. pic.twitter.com/MpYLVklHdr, Watson, 52, has clashed publicly with Labour leader. By David Wilkinson, Natasha Maguder and Nada Bashir, CNN, Updated 11:20 PM ET, Wed November 6, 2019. Johnson's government has imposed draconian curbs on public movement to try to stop the spread -- measures backed by Labour, although it successfully pressed for more parliamentary scrutiny of new police powers. I will lead this great party into a new era, with confidence and hope, so that when the time comes, we can serve our country again – in government. UK: Sir Keir Starmer is the new Labour Party leader, replacing Jeremy Corbyn. London (AFP) - Pro-European centrist Keir Starmer was on Saturday unveiled as new Labour party leader, heralding a shift in Britain's main opposition party after a crushing election defeat under veteran socialist Jeremy Corbyn and years of ideological infighting. A YouGov survey last week found that 55 percent of the public had a favourable opinion of him, up from 43 percent a week earlier.

Elected party leader with an overwhelming 91% of the vote, he set about unifying the left and right factions of Labour and attacking the government of … It’s the honour and privilege of my life to be elected as Leader of the Labour Party. Media caption The new Labour leader recorded a video where he spoke of the "honour" of the post and the effect of coronavirus. The decision is personal, not political," Watson said in a letter to Corbyn, adding he would continue as deputy leader until December 12 to help Labour contest its election campaign. Glasgow, United Kingdom – Jeremy Corbyn’s chequered leadership of the British Labour Party has officially come to an end after Keir Starmer was elected to replace him following a protracted four-month contest. Johnson immediately offered his congratulations and the pair spoke, with Starmer accepting an invitation to a government briefing on COVID-19 next week.

I will spend this election fighting for brilliant Labour candidates and a better future for our country," he wrote. In a letter posted online Wednesday, Corbyn thanked Watson for his contribution to the Labour Party. Angela Rayner was also elected as a deputy to Starmer, who made a pre-recorded victory speech online where he described his election as an “honour and privilege”. Brexit was a toxic issue for the party, torn between eurosceptic supporters in many northern English towns and pro-EU voters in the big cities such as London. Corbyn, a staunch socialist who presided over Labour for nearly five years, stood down in the aftermath of last December’s general election, which saw him lead his party to one of its most disastrous general election results in living memory. In 2008, he became the head of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and director of Public Prosecutions. As UK’s Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson remains in self-isolation having been diagnosed with the coronavirus late last month, Bale said the “key to leadership at this time of crisis is to become an expert in the art of constructive opposition”. "Now is the right time for me to stand down from the House of Commons and start a different kind of life. Corbyn wrote that being a lawmaker and deputy leader of the party was "far more than a job" and said he understood Watson had made a difficult decision. Starmer, who won a resounding 56.2 percent of the vote of Labour members, acknowledged the party had "a mountain to climb", after four straight general election defeats -- two under Corbyn. Trump and Melania test positive for COVID-19: Live news, Nagorno-Karabakh: Deadly fighting spills into fifth day, Trump and wife Melania test positive for COVID-19, Al Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human Rights. Corbyn spent a lifetime on the sidelines because of his left-wing views, and his election as leader in 2015, on the back of a huge surge in party membership, was a shock. “Starmer was the most experienced candidate,” Simon Pia, a former Scottish Labour Party press adviser, told Al Jazeera.

Two years later, Starmer won a seat in Parliament with a majority of more than 17,000 votes.

Angela Rayner becomes the new deputy leader, Labour announced on Twitter, after it was forced to cancel a special conference because of the coronavirus outbreak. I have seen the grief that it's brought to so many Jewish communities," Starmer said. The new Labour leader used his victory speech to describe Labour’s alleged anti-Semitism as a “stain on our party”, pledging to “tear out this poison by its roots”. In response, Johnson's popularity ratings have shot up. Some 72 percent thought the government was doing well -- including a majority of Labour voters. He rejoined as shadow Brexit secretary later that year as the UK began the process to leave the European Union. This is not the end of our work together. However, voters were not convinced and Johnson took Britain out of the bloc on January 31.

It’s the honour and privilege of my life to be elected as Leader of the Labour Party.

Critics accused him of being too hard left – even Marxist – but where does Starmer, who once called for a more “human rights approach to foreign policy”, stand? pic.twitter.com/F4X088FTYY, — Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) April 4, 2020.

His legal work saw him endeavour to eradicate the death penalty in some Caribbean and African countries. The coronavirus pandemic saw Labour cancel the leadership special conference that would have publicly unveiled its new chief, who will now have the daunting task of challenging the dominance of the ruling Conservative Party government, which holds an 80-seat parliamentary majority. “But, these are not normal times.”. The Conservatives have also promised eye-watering sums to keep businesses and individuals afloat, wading into traditional Labour territory. Until the UK officially left the bloc on January 31, Europhiles and Eurosceptics had faced off in a bitter propaganda war that has only recently been replaced by a battle to save lives during the pandemic. The three Labour leadership candidates (L-R) Lisa Nandy, Keir Starmer and Rebecca Long-Bailey (AFP Photo/Daniel LEAL-OLIVAS, Isabel INFANTES, Leon NEAL), New Zealand's Ardern takes on housing crisis issue ahead of early voting, Proposals to hold newly arrived asylum seekers offshore branded ‘illegal, expensive and illogical’, The only UK area to come out of local lockdown is back on the government’s coronavirus watchlist, Leak inquiry launched amid briefing war over asylum plans, zeroUV - Retro Round Sunglasses for Men Women with, It is time to make an example of public figures who flout the government’s coronavirus rules, President Trump says he and the first lady have ‘tested positive for COVID-19’, Dow Jones Futures Tumble As President Trump Tests Positive For Coronavirus; Jobs Report, Tesla Deliveries On Tap, Arthritis Treatments Your Doctor May Not Share, Donald Trump, Melania Trump Test Positive For The Coronavirus, Jessica Alba says she was banned from making eye contact with cast members on the set of 'Beverly Hills, 90210', Report: Coronavirus has been a gift to dictators, Enter Any Name, Wait 9 Seconds, Brace Yourself, President Trump and Melania Trump test positive for COVID-19, Likely Fed injections in contested U.S. vote would favour tech: BofA, PHOTOS: Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg — A look back, Monthly Market Commentary | September 2020, Dr. Fauci Just Said the 4 Words You've Been Waiting to Hear, 'Give me a f---ing break': Melania Trump lashed out at critics of her visit to the US-Mexico border, according to audio obtained by her former adviser, Coronavirus stimulus: House passes revised HEROES Act, putting more pressure on White House, True Reason Why Gretchen Wilson Left Scene, Democrats, preferring to risk COVID than losing to Trump, are shifting away from voting by mail, Hope Hicks, top White House official tests positive for coronavirus.

MPs and party members have been locked in an ideological battle ever since. Glasgow, United Kingdom - Jeremy Corbyn's chequered leadership of the British Labour Party has officially come to an end after Keir Starmer was elected to …

What has Russia gained from five years of fighting in Syria? Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer delivers his keynote speech during the party's online conference from the Danum Gallery, Library and Museum in Doncaster, Britain September 22, 2020. "On behalf of the Labour Party, I am sorry. In any case, if Starmer even comes close in 2024 – if that’s the date of the next election – he will have a pretty good claim.”, Follow Alasdair Soussi on Twitter: @AlasdairSoussi, London’s newest 4,000-bed hospital to treat COVID-19 patients (2.32), Shock, sympathy, mockery: World reacts to Trump infection, Kerala, India’s ‘model state’ in COVID-19 fight, suffers setback, World leaders wish Trump speedy recovery from COVID-19, Slow progress on women’s rights condemned at UN summit. Thread starter Edmond Dantès; Start date Apr 4, 2020; Forums. "My instinct will be to be constructive but to ask the difficult questions," he told a Guardian podcast this week. But, as even loyal Labour supporters concede, the party has a long road ahead. EtcetEra Forum ... Hodge was the leader of Islington Council and they reportedly got on quite well, even if they weren't ever friends. Starmer was opposed to Brexit and played a key role in moving Labour to support a second referendum on leaving the European Union. London (CNN)The deputy leader of Britain's opposition Labour Party said Wednesday that he would stand down both from his frontline position and as a lawmaker at the country's forthcoming general election on December 12, citing "personal not political" reasons. Today, the former Labour heartland is dominated by the ruling pro-independence Scottish National Party (SNP), which has led Scotland’s devolved government at the Scottish Parliament since 2007. "Few people have given as much to the Labour movement as you have and I know that many thousands of members and trade unionists that you have inspired and worked with over the years will be very sorry to see you go," the Labour leader wrote.