After a weekend rife with speculation, Sir Keir Starmer has announced he will be standing down as leader of the Labour party, triggering a potential leadership contest (which Andy Burnham, the new MP for Makerfield and former Manchester Mayor, is hotly tipped to win).
During an emotional press conference outside 10 Downing Street, where Starmer looked visibly moved at points when discussing his children, the PM said he'd stay in his post until a new figurehead was established with nominations opening 9 July.
Starmer confirmed that if there is to be a contest (which is still tbc at the moment, depending on if anyone else fancies their chances against Burnham), he will have handed over the reigns by September when Parliamentary recess ends. Starmer promised an "orderly" transition of power and that his successor will receive his "full and unequivocal support, knowing that they will inherit a Britain that is far stronger and fairer than the one I inherited two years ago".
The Prime Minister also shared that once he has formally stepped back, his focus will return to "being the best husband I can, to my fantastic wife Vic, who has been a rock by my side through good times and bad and being the best dad that I can to be beautiful children, who are my pride and joy."
As he concluded his speech, to cheers of support from colleagues, he hugged his wife and returned inside Number 10.
So, what else do we know about Victoria Starmer, and what does the former solicitor now do for work? Here's the lowdown on the for-now-PM's wife...
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Who is Keir Starmer's wife, Victoria Alexander?
Given she's the wife of a knight (yep, the Prime Minster was knighted a 'Sir' following his work as a human rights lawyer and prosecutor), Victoria really is a 'First Lady' of 10 Downing Street in some ways – as she can officially style herself as Lady Starmer, should she wish. However, she seems pretty down to earth so we can't imagine that being her bag...
Victoria (or 'Vic' as the PM tends to refer to her) married Keir in 2007, after the pair met while both working on the same case in the early noughties. So the story goes: Keir wanted to know who was responsible for a certain set of documents and wanted to question their accuracy, and when he heard Victoria was the woman he needed to speak with, got her on the phone to discuss.
At the end of the call, after receiving a grilling, Victoria then – not realising the call hadn't disconnected – turned to a colleague and said, "Who the f*ck does he think he is?" Apparently though, this only made Keir all the more intrigued. The rest, as they say, is history.
As for Victoria's own history, she was raised by Polish-Jewish immigrants (her mother, a doctor, converted to the Jewish faith after meeting her father, an economics lecturer) along with her sister in Gospel Oak, London. Keir once said to Jewish Chronicle that the family "observe some of the practices such as Friday night prayers".
One writer, who penned a piece for The Independent and who says she is a neighbour of the Starmers, described Victoria as being popular with the "Kentish Town mum mafia (who reckon she is 'cool', 'a laugh', 'down to earth' and 'one of us')".
According to one interview Keir gave, Victoria would have preferred him to stay working in the legal sphere rather than moving into the political one, detailing, "No she wasn't at all [keen], she thought it'd be far better to continue being a lawyer on a reasonable salary and not have all of the challenges you get as a politician."
Does Victoria Starmer work for the NHS?
She does indeed (or at least she did the last we heard), as an occupational health therapist to be exact – a fact that the PM referenced ample times during his election campaign.
During the pandemic, Keir and Victoria were both spotted standing outside their front door clapping for the NHS and in support of key workers.
Do Keir and Victoria Starmer have children?
Yes! The couple share two teenagers: a boy who was 16-year-old at the time of the election and a girl who was 13, neither of whom have ever been named or pictured publicly before. Keir has spoken on multiple occasions about the importance of keeping their lives as normal as possible.
He's also revealed some fun anecdotes about his children in the past and how they help him to keep his feet on the ground, too.
"They're a really good mixture of being protected and bringing me back down to earth the whole time," the PM explained during an appearance on the Table Manners podcast in July 2023. "Last year I won The Spectator Politician of the Year Award and they gave me a framed certificate which I then took home about 10 o'clock at night, and our boy was sitting on the settee with his feet up watching telly. I came in, gave it to him and said 'What do you think of this?' and he looked at it, without really taking his eyes off the telly, he passed it back to me and said 'How did you blag that then?'. It was just fantastic!"
He later added, "The moment I walk through the door, I've got to be dad and I love that."
What else do we know about Victoria Stamer?
It seems she's a natural with children and was seen happily chatting to some who visited Downing Street over the festive period for a kid's party. Victoria also joined her husband for the Christmas lights switch on at Downing Street in 2024 too, and donned a chic red coat for the occasion (it's giving Labour! it's giving festive!).
She also seems to have won President Trump over: when Starmer paid a much anticipated visit to the White House in February 2025, to discuss ending the war in Ukraine and to talk about the UK and the US' "special relationship" following Trump's second term getting underway, the President described her as "impressive" and a "beautiful, great woman" (when asked if the UK has to choose between aligning itself with the US or the rest of Europe).
"Well, I think we [the UK and US] have just a great relationship. We actually had a good relationship before," said Trump. "We've met a couple of times and I'm very impressed with him, and very impressed with his wife. I must say, she's a beautiful, great woman."
While it's uncommon for Victoria to make a public appearance, she did pop up at Wimbledon (seated one row behind Kate Middleton) last summer and joined her husband on a harrowing visit to Poland to visit a former Nazi German concentration camp.
