Labour conference: People assume Sir Keir Starmer is a posh bloke - top aide
- Published
Sir Keir wants to connect with working-class voters
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer's knighthood makes many people assume he is "a posh bloke", his director of strategy has said.
Deborah Mattinson told an event at the party's conference in Brighton that her boss came from an ordinary family and had advanced through his own efforts.
Sir Keir, a former Director of Public Prosecutions, received his honour in 2014, the year before he became an MP.
He has been keen to emphasise his working-class origins., external
But some critics have queried this, external and raised questions about the grammar school he attended that became a fee-paying school during his time there.
The Labour leader believes his roots, as the son of a toolmaker and a nurse, will help him connect with the working people the party is desperate to win back after four general election defeats in a row.
'Hard work'
In an 11,500-word essay published on the eve of the conference in Brighton, he wrote about his background, and is expected to return to the theme when he delivers his speech to delegates on Wednesday.
His aide Ms Mattinson - who was brought in to help Labour win back voters it has lost - was keen to stress his working-class credentials as she introduced him to an audience of Love Island fans at a conference event in Brighton.
"Because he's Sir Keir Starmer... a lot of people think he's some posh bloke. He comes from an ordinary background.
"He's got where he is through talent and hard work."
The Labour leader was taking part in an Instagram Live with former Love Island contestant Amy Hart.
Former Love Island contestant Amy Hart chats with Sir Keir
In his chat with Ms Hart, Sir Keir attacked the Conservative government for not doing enough to promote social mobility, saying: "The higher you go up [in society], the less diverse it is and the more people are from private school."
As the pandemic eased, he said, politics was "taking a turn back to normal" and he promised more intense scrutiny of Boris Johnson.
"This prime minister needs to be confronted with reality," he added.
He also discussed issues including trans rights, Covid vaccines, immigration and apprenticeships.
The government has set up the Social Mobility Commission, which it says will help "ensure the circumstances of birth do not determine outcomes in life".
Mr Johnson has also promised to "level up" the UK, including educational, training and employment opportunities.
Sir Ed Davey was honoured in 2016
Labour is not the only party to be led by a knight.
Liberal Democrat Sir Ed Davey became one in 2016 for "political and public service", having been a minister in the coalition government from 2010 to 2015.
His Parliamentary web page states that he "should be addressed as Ed Davey".
Sir Keir was knighted in the 2014 New Year's Honours for services to "law and criminal justice" and in the following year was elected Labour MP for Holborn and St Pancras, north London.
His Parliamentary web page states that he "should be addressed as Keir Starmer".