Starmer’s winding road to power

Let's try that again - this time from our usual email address... The UK's new prime minister has been moving into his official residence in Downing Street. But who exactly is Sir Keir Starmer? Nick Eardley explains his long and unconventional route to power. In this week's editor's picks, we have two interviews to tug at the heartstrings. One - surprisingly positive - with terminally ill aid worker Simon Boas, as he reflects on his final days, the other with the son of a football hero who died before he could get to know him. Scroll down for Shania Twain, smuggled plants and a dog dicing with disaster.

QUESTIONS ANSWERED

From indie kid to prime minister

Sir Keir, posing lying down with student flatmates, was influenced by the indie music of the 1980s. Credit: Keir Starmer/Tom Baldwin

Sir Keir Starmer has become UK prime minister, after leading Labour to a landslide election win. But the 61-year-old, who is married with a teenage son and daughter to a National Health Service occupational therapist, only arrived in Downing Street via a late career change.

What’s his background?

Keir Starmer, one of four children, was raised by his toolmaker father and nurse mother, who suffered from a debilitating form of arthritis known as Still’s disease. The young Starmer was obsessed with football, a talented musician and learnt violin with Norman Cook, who went on to become chart-topping DJ Fatboy Slim.

And his politics?

His name was a tribute to the first Labour leader, Keir Hardie. At school he joined the Young Socialists. Then he became the first person in his family to go to university, studying law at Leeds and later Oxford. For a while after graduating, he lived above a brothel in north London. More importantly, he was building a reputation as a workaholic that would see him become a successful and prominent human rights lawyer. Sir Keir continued his left-wing activism, as a prominent contributor to the magazine Socialist Lawyer.

What about his career?

In 2008, he became the chief prosecutor for England and Wales. Sir Keir likes to talk about this period in life as an example of his dedication to public service, and often recalls his role in prosecuting terrorist gangs. It wasn't until the age of 52 that the career change came.

PICKS OF THE WEEK

THE BIG PICTURE

How smugglers hide endangered plants

Cape Town airport officials found these succulents inside onion bags labelled as mushrooms. Credit: South African Police Service

Growing demand for succulents as ornamental plants, particularly across East Asia, has left authorities in African countries dealing with an increase in smuggling attempts involving flora. Some have been found hidden in toys. "It never stops," said one police investigator in South Africa. "You find out their one method, and they come up with another smuggling idea."

And finally... in a US kitchen

A smart heat sensor alerted the Colorado Springs Fire Department when items left on a stovetop caught light, filling the room with smoke. Only afterwards did CCTV in the room reveal the culprit - a dog had inadvertently turned on a hob while sniffing around. See how it unfolded.