Sir Keir Starmer has described being Labour leader as the ‘worst’ job he’s ever had – because he is not prime minister.
The former Director of Public Prosecutions said that there was ‘nothing good’ about being in opposition because he was not ‘changing lives’.
Earlier this year, Sir Keir revealed that his first job was picking up stones in a farm for 50p.
He outlined his frustration with his current role in an interview with Esquire magazine, saying: ‘I play football every week. I watch Arsenal every game. And I want to win. It’s an absolute focus for me. Whether on the football pitch or in politics.
‘That’s why the years since 2015 have been so frustrating, because we haven’t been winning. We lost in 2015. We lost in 2017. We lost in 2019.
Sir Keir Starmer outlined his frustration with his current role in an interview with Esquire
‘There’s nothing good about being in opposition. When I’m asked, what’s the worst job I’ve ever had, my answer is: Leader of the Opposition.
‘You are not changing lives by being in opposition. You need to be in government.’
Sir Keir, who took over as leader from Jeremy Corbyn in 2020, accepts that he is not an ‘entertainer’, but says people are not looking for that in a leader.
He says that while Rishi Sunak has been ‘perfectly decent’ to him, he continued his attacks on the Prime Minister, branding him ‘out of touch’ and does not have a mandate.
Reflecting on recent scandals in Parliament after claims that the Conservatives had covered up for a Tory MP who allegedly committed a series of rapes, he said it was a ‘bad’ environment.
‘I’ve never worked in an environment as bad as parliament. There are far too many stories of abuse of power. In the private sector, it wouldn’t be tolerated. Parliament needs to be catapulted into the 21st century,’ he said.
Sir Keir also said that he didn’t feel ‘daunted’ about the prospect of becoming prime minister, should his lead in the polls translate to an election victory.
Sir Keir Starmer told Esquire magazine that being Labour leader is the ‘worst’ job he’s ever had
However, he conceded that he was worried about the effect it would have on his young family, saying he was ‘fiercely protective’ of his family’s privacy.
Earlier this year, Sir Keir told the National Farmers’ Union that his first job was picking up stones on a farm for 50p.
He claimed farming was ‘in my DNA’ and said he grew up in a ‘#rural farming community’ – despite living in a town just 20 miles outside central London.
Sir Keir grew up in the town of Oxted, Surrey, which lies at the edge of the North Downs way and is just a 40-minute train journey from the capital.
He told the conference in Birmingham that Labour was no longer a party for ‘urban’ Britain.
He said: ‘It’s a little-known fact that my first job when I was about 14 years old was on a farm.
‘It wasn’t a particularly sophisticated job. I was allocated to pick up stones in the field for 50p.’ He continued: ‘I grew up on the border of Surrey and Kent… I lived in a farming rural community. So that’s in my DNA.’
The Winter issue of Esquire UK is on sale from today (November 9).