Starmer promises to be ‘fiercely protective’ of his children if he wins

Sir Keir Starmer has said he will continue to be “fiercely protective” of his children as he acknowledged a move to Downing Street would not be “easy” for them.

Speaking on the eve of the general election, the Labour leader said he did not want to “overly talk about” his children, who he never names or photographs in public, because he wants to shield them from the political fray.

He said it is “not easy” to go through “big changes” as a teenager, insisting that he owes it to his 16-year-old son and 13-year-old daughter to respect their privacy.

Sir Keir has previously said his children are “worried” about the prospect of moving into Downing Street with him if he wins the election.

Asked on Wednesday if they had come to terms with the fact they could soon be entering No 10, he told reporters in Wales: “I have talked about the concern I have about my children – I don’t want to overly talk about my children because I don’t want to bring them into this, that’s the very thing I’ve been trying not to do.

“But it’s not easy if you’re 16 and 13-and-a-half to go through big changes in your life, if that’s what happens.

“They are understandably at an age where this is very impactful on them, which is why I’ve been so fiercely protective of them for many years and I will continue to try to be so. That’s just a very personal thing that I owe them.”

Asked if he will be doing “something special” on Thursday, he said: “I think tomorrow may be pretty busy, so I better not make promises I can’t keep to anyone – including my children.”

Appearing on ITV’s This Morning last month, Sir Keir said he and his wife Victoria would “fiercely protect” their teenage children’s privacy, but admitted they were still concerned about the impact of a possible move to No 10.

He said: “They are worried, if I’m honest. They are worried about it, because, I think any parent would understand this, if you are a teenage child you don’t want things to change.”

Sir Keir confirmed that the family would all live together in Downing Street if he became prime minister, and added that his children would probably “ramp up their campaign” for a family dog to make up for the changes to their lives.

It comes after the Labour leader, whose wife is Jewish, was accused by the Tories of planning to be a “part-time prime minister” when he suggested he would want to clock out at 6pm on Fridays to spend time with his family.

Sir Keir hit back on Tuesday, saying the Tory comments were “bordering on hysterical” and suggesting that Lord Mann, the Government’s anti-Semitism tsar, was right to call the attacks “dangerous”.

He pointed out that his wife’s side of the family is Jewish, and that the Starmers often use Fridays for family prayers.

Sir Keir has said protecting time to spend with his son and daughter made him more relaxed and a better decision-maker.