Legal career of Keir Starmer

Sir
Keir Starmer
KCB KC
Official portrait as Director of Public Prosecutions, 2009
Director of Public Prosecutions
In office
1 November 2008 - 1 November 2013
Appointed byPatricia Scotland
Preceded bySir Ken Macdonald
Succeeded byAlison Saunders
Personal details
Born
Keir Rodney Starmer

(1962-09-02) 2 September 1962 (age 62)
Southwark, London, England
Political partyLabour
Spouse
​
(m. 2007)​
Children2
EducationReigate Grammar School
Alma mater
OccupationBarrister
Websitekeirstarmer.com

The British prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer, practised law before his political career began in 2015. Since becoming a barrister in 1987, he mostly dealt with criminal defence work on human rights matters. In 2008, he became Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and Head of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), holding these positions until 2013.

This article is part of
a series about
Keir Starmer
Personal
Legal career
Leadership of the Opposition
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Policies
Elections
Keir Starmer's signature

Barrister

Starmer graduated with a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Leeds in 1985 and gained a postgraduate Bachelor of Civil Law degree at St Edmund Hall at the University of Oxford in 1986. He became a barrister in 1987 at the Middle Temple, becoming a bencher there in 2009.[1] Starmer served as a legal officer for the campaign group Liberty until 1990.[2] He was a member of Doughty Street Chambers from 1990 onwards, primarily working on human rights issues.[3][2] While at Doughty Street Chambers, he met the solicitor Victoria Alexander, who he later married.[4]

Starmer was called to the bar in several Caribbean countries,[5] where he has defended convicts sentenced to the death penalty.[6] He assisted the activists Helen Steel and David Morris in the McLibel case, a legal case in which Steel and Morris were sued by McDonald's for libel over a critical pamphlet. Starmer represented Steel and Morris in the trial and appeal in English courts, also representing them at the European Court of Human Rights.[7]

Starmer was appointed Queen's Counsel on 9 April 2002, aged 39.[8] In the same year, he became joint head of Doughty Street Chambers. Starmer served as a human rights adviser to the Northern Ireland Policing Board and the Association of Chief Police Officers, and was also a member of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's death penalty advisory panel from 2002 to 2008.[1][2] During this time he also authored legal opinions against the Iraq War.[6] Starmer stated in 2015 that he believed that the Iraq War was "not lawful under international law because there was no UN resolution expressly authorising it."[9] In 2007, he was named "QC of the Year" by Chambers and Partners.[2]

Director of Public Prosecutions

Appointment

In July 2008, Patricia Scotland, Attorney General for England and Wales, named Starmer as the new head of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and Director of Public Prosecutions. He took over from Ken Macdonald on 1 November 2008.[2]

Tenure

Starmer attending the National Black Crown Prosecutors Association 2009 Conference

In 2009, Starmer upheld the decision not to prosecute the police officers who had killed Jean Charles de Menezes in a High Court appeal lodged by the family.[10] He was head of the CPS in 2009 when a decision was made not to prosecute an individual who was part of the Rochdale child sex abuse ring; however, there is no evidence Starmer was personally involved in the decision.[11] After the conviction of Munir Hussain on 14 December 2009 for attacking a burglar, Starmer defended the conviction, saying: "We would only ever bring a prosecution where we thought that the degree of force was unreasonable [...] these are very rare cases".[12]

Starmer was involved[13] in the decision to prosecute Omari Roberts, a trainee builder who killed a teenage burglar in a struggle at the home of Roberts's mother.[14] The prosecution case relied on the evidence of a second teenage burglar and was dropped on 19 April 2010, with Roberts being found not guilty.[15]

In 2009, Starmer opposed the Conservative Party proposal of repealing the Human Rights Act 1998, which Starmer called a "clear and basic statement of our citizens' human rights".[16] Liberty and the Liberal Democrats supported Starmer, while the Conservative MP David T. C. Davies suggested he should be dismissed.[17]

In 2009, he called for greater transparency and modernisation in the CPS, including less reliance on paper files.[18] In 2011, he introduced reforms that included the "first test paperless hearing".[19]

Starmer speaking about assisted suicide consultation, 2011

In February 2010, Starmer announced the CPS's decision to prosecute three Labour MPs and a Conservative peer for offences relating to false accounting in the aftermath of the parliamentary expenses scandal.[20] They were all found guilty.[21] In the same year, he supported proposals to legally recognise different degrees of murder.[22] In 2010 and 2012, Starmer said that there was insufficient evidence to prosecute two members of the UK security services for their alleged role in torture overseas; he supported further investigation.[23][24][25]

In July 2010, Starmer announced the decision not to prosecute the police officer Simon Harwood in relation to the death of Ian Tomlinson.[26] After a later inquest found that Tomlinson had been unlawfully killed, Starmer announced that Harwood would be prosecuted for manslaughter. The officer was acquitted by a jury in July 2012 but dismissed from the police that September.[27][28][29]

Starmer speaking about domestic violence, 2011

In September 2010, Stephen Lawrence murder suspects Gary Dobson and David Norris were arrested and charged.[30] Dobson had previously been acquitted of the crime; on 23 October 2010, Starmer applied to the Court of Appeal for his original acquittal to be quashed.[31] The two were sentenced on 4 January 2012 with minimum terms of 15 years and 2 months for Dobson and 14 years and 3 months for Norris.[32][33]

In December 2010, Starmer revised the policy to require his personal approval for prosecuting women who retract rape allegations, following a case where a woman was convicted of perverting the course of justice, despite judges believing her claims of long-term abuse, intimidation, and rape by her husband were true.[34] He later produced guidelines to prevent women in similar circumstances from being unfairly prosecuted.[35]

In 2011, thirteen serving and former police officers were prosecuted for perverting the course of justice in the 1988 murder of Lynette White. The prosecution were unable to provide documents which "could have helped" the defendants, that were claimed to have been destroyed by the police officer leading the case against them. The prosecution made the decision, approved by Starmer, not to offer any further evidence, and the trial collapsed.[36][37][38] Starmer ordered a review into the circumstances that had led to the decision and ordered a further review in 2012 when the missing documents were found.[39]

Starmer speaking at Chatham House in 2013

Starmer prioritised rapid prosecutions of those involved in the 2011 England riots over long sentences, which he later said had helped to bring "the situation back under control".[40][41] Later that year, after revelations concerning the undercover police infiltration of environmental campaigns, Starmer ordered a review of related convictions and invited protestors convicted of aggravated trespass to appeal their sentences.[42] Starmer declined to authorise a wider enquiry, after a report from the judge Christopher Rose found the issue to be a result of individual fault rather than a systemic problem.[43][44]

In February 2012, Starmer announced that Cameron–Clegg coalition cabinet minister Chris Huhne, and his former wife, Vicky Pryce, would be prosecuted for perverting the course of justice in R v Huhne.[45] Later that year, he wrote advice for prosecutors, saying that they should consider whether violent protestors organised or prepared for violence, compared to protestors who got "caught up in illegal actions".[46] In the summer of 2012, journalist Nick Cohen wrote that Starmer was personally responsible for prosecuting Paul Chambers in the Twitter joke trial. Chambers' conviction was quashed after a third appeal. The CPS denied that Starmer was behind the decision, saying that it was the responsibility of a Crown Court and was out of Starmer's hands.[47] Later that year, Starmer published a plan for the criminal justice system to better handle cases of female genital mutilation; at the time, the offence had never been successfully prosecuted.[48] At the end of 2012, he published guidance on prosecuting cases of grossly offensive posts on social media that called for caution in prosecuting cases, and considering whether users quickly removed posts or showed remorse.[49][50]

Starmer discussing prosecutions involving social media, 2013

When Jimmy Savile's sexual abuse crimes were exposed in 2012, Starmer said amid the subsequent scandal that "It was like a dam had bust and people rightfully wanted to know why he had been allowed to get away with it for so long."[51] Starmer was then made aware that there had been four complaints made against Savile to police in Surrey and Sussex about his abuse during 2007 and 2008, but a decision had been taken against prosecuting him on the grounds that his victims themselves did not support court action and there was insufficient evidence.[52] Starmer responded by saying "It never came close to crossing my desk and the local CPS lawyer who looked at the case did not even mention the decision to his immediate boss because, to him, it seemed routine."[53][54][55] In 2013, during the Operation Yewtree police investigation into Savile's crimes, Starmer announced changes to how sexual abuse investigations were handled, including a panel to review cases of sexual abuse.

Starmer's proposals were intended to make it easier for victims of violent crime to come forward and to facilitate their participation in criminal proceedings.[53][54] In the same year, he published a study showing that false reports of rape were rare, saying that the "devastating impact of false allegations" and the perception that they are more common than the data support mean that police forces might adopt what he called a cautious approach that can "lead to injustice for victims" of rape.[56] He also started an inquiry into the cause of a reduction in police reports of rape and domestic abuse.[57] Also in 2013, Starmer altered guidelines for those improperly claiming benefits enabling them to face ten years in prison under the Fraud Act instead of a maximum of seven years under more specific legislation.[58]

Starmer represented Croatia at the genocide hearings at the International Court of Justice in The Hague in 2014, arguing that Serbia wanted to seize a third of Croatian territory during the 1990s war and eradicate the Croatian population.[59] Also in 2014, Starmer published guidance on when not to prosecute cases where compassion was the sole motivator in assisting a relative to access assisted dying overseas, following the Supreme Court Martin case.[60] In 2015, he intervened and voted in support of Rob Marris's Private Member's Bill on assisted dying.[61]

Starmer left office in November 2013, and was replaced by Alison Saunders.[62][63] Later that month, the Labour Party announced that Starmer would lead an enquiry into changing the law to give further protection to victims in cases of rape and child abuse.[64] From 2011 to 2014, Starmer received honorary degrees from several universities, and was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) by Charles, Prince of Wales in the 2014 New Year Honours for services to law and criminal justice.[65]

Legacy

While speaking in the House of Commons on 31 January 2022, then Prime Minister Boris Johnson falsely blamed Starmer for the non-prosecution of Savile when Starmer was Director of Public Prosecutions in the Crown Prosecution Service. Starmer was DPP in the years immediately prior to Savile's death but there is no evidence he was involved in the decision to not have him prosecuted.[66] Johnson was heavily criticised for the comment and his policy adviser Munira Mirza resigned three days later, saying in her resignation letter that Johnson had made "a scurrilous accusation" against Starmer.[67] Also on 3 February, during an interview with Sky News, Johnson would not apologise for his comment and tried to defend it by stating that, in 2013, Starmer apologised because the CPS had not investigated Savile; however, Johnson then said: "I totally understand that he [Starmer] had nothing to do personally with those decisions".[68]

On 7 February, while Starmer and his colleague David Lammy were leaving Parliament, they were ambushed by a group of people who shouted abuse at Starmer including the words "traitor" and "Jimmy Savile". Two people, a man and a woman, were arrested after a traffic cone was thrown at police officers. Johnson tweeted that it was "absolutely disgraceful" and thanked the police for acting swiftly.[69] Shayan Sardarizadeh for BBC Monitoring said that the protest was an attempt to recreate the Ottawa "freedom convoy" protests in the UK, and noted that the activists' references to Magna Carta indicated that the protesters were members of the sovereign citizen movement.[69] Julian Smith, the former chief whip, and Simon Hoare were among Conservatives who called for Johnson to apologise. MP Kim Leadbeater and Brendan Cox, the sister and husband of murdered MP Jo Cox, warned against politicians lending credence to far-right conspiracy theories.[70][71] The following day, a Downing Street source said that Johnson still would not apologise for the slur against Starmer.[72]

Following the incident when activists forced police to protect Starmer and Lammy extremists issued multiple death threats against Starmer and other Labour MPs. The Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) sent material to the Metropolitan Police. Imran Ahmed of the CCDH stated, "Every time a violent extremist makes a threat of violence and gets away with it, the norms of those groups worsen, and others are driven to newer depths of behaviour."[73]

Awards and honours

KCB breast star

In 2002, Starmer took silk, being appointed Queen's Counsel (QC).[74] He received the Bar Council's Sydney Elland Goldsmith Award in 2005 for his outstanding contribution to pro bono work in challenging the death penalty in Uganda, Kenya, Malawi, and the Caribbean.[75]

For his meritorious "services to law and criminal justice", Starmer was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in the 2014 New Year Honours,[76][77] making Starmer a "Sir".[78]

Honorary degrees issued to Keir Starmer
Date School Degree
21 July 2011 University of Essex Doctor of university (D.U.)[79]
16 July 2012 University of Leeds Doctor of Laws (LL.D.)[80]
19 November 2013 University of East London Doctor of university (D.U.)[65]
19 December 2013 London School of Economics Doctor of Laws (LL.D.)[81][82]
14 July 2014 University of Reading Doctor of Laws (LL.D.)[83]
18 November 2014 University of Worcester Doctor of university (D.U.)[84]

Publications

Starmer is the author and editor of several books about criminal law and human rights, including:

  • Justice in Error (1993), edited with Clive Walker, London: Blackstone, ISBN 1-85431-234-0.
  • The Three Pillars of Liberty: Political Rights and Freedoms in the United Kingdom (1996), with Francesca Klug and Stuart Weir, London: Routledge, ISBN 0-415-09641-3.
  • Signing Up for Human Rights: The United Kingdom and International Standards (1998), with Conor Foley, London: Amnesty International United Kingdom, ISBN 1-873328-30-3.
  • Miscarriages of Justice: A Review of Justice in Error (1999), edited with Clive Walker, London: Blackstone, ISBN 1-85431-687-7.
  • European Human Rights Law: the Human Rights Act 1998 and the European Convention on Human Rights (1999), London: Legal Action Group, ISBN 0-905099-77-X.
  • Criminal Justice, Police Powers and Human Rights (2001), with Anthony Jennings, Tim Owen, Michelle Strange, and Quincy Whitaker, London: Blackstone, ISBN 1-84174-138-8.
  • Blackstone's Human Rights Digest (2001), with Iain Byrne, London: Blackstone, ISBN 1-84174-153-1.
  • A Report on the Policing of the Ardoyne Parades 12 July 2004 (2004), with Jane Gordon, Belfast: Northern Ireland Policing Board.

References

  1. ^ a b "Starmer, Rt Hon. Sir Keir, (born 2 Sept. 1962), PC 2017; QC 2002; MP (Lab) Holborn and St Pancras, since 2015". Who's Who. 2007. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U43670. ISBN 978-0-19-954088-4. Archived from the original on 12 July 2020. Retrieved 4 January 2020.[better source needed]
  2. ^ a b c d e Bates, Stephen (1 August 2008). "The Guardian profile: Keir Starmer". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 29 March 2019. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  3. ^ Stewart, Heather (27 March 2020). "Keir Starmer had no enemies. Can he keep it that way?". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 27 March 2020. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  4. ^ Strick, Katie (2 July 2024). "Victoria Starmer: the no-nonsense solicitor set to become Britain's next first lady". The Standard. Archived from the original on 2 July 2024. Retrieved 2 July 2024.
  5. ^ "Middle Temple". Middle Temple. Archived from the original on 26 September 2020. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
  6. ^ a b "Keir Starmer: The sensible radical". New Statesman. 31 March 2020. Archived from the original on 5 April 2020.
  7. ^ "Corrections and clarifications". The Guardian. 16 January 2020. Archived from the original on 13 February 2023. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  8. ^ "No. 56538". The London Gazette. 16 April 2002. p. 4622.
  9. ^ Starmer, Keir (30 November 2015). "Airstrikes in Syria are lawful, but I'll be voting against them". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 10 April 2020. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  10. ^ "Family of Jean Charles de Menezes end battle for justice after DPP refuses to prosecute cops over shooting". Daily Record. Glasgow. 14 February 2009. Archived from the original on 18 June 2020. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
  11. ^ "No evidence Keir Starmer tried to block the prosecution of Muslim grooming gangs". Full Fact. 28 July 2022. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
  12. ^ Hirsch, Afua (20 January 2010). "Don't read too much into Munir Hussain judgment, say lawyers". The Guardian. London.
  13. ^ Usherwood, Theo (9 April 2010). "Charges 'to be dropped' over burglar's stab death". The Independent. London.
  14. ^ "Man should not have been charged for killing burglar, CPS decides". The Daily Telegraph. London. 19 April 2010.
  15. ^ "Builder who killed burglar in struggle is freed". The Daily Telegraph. 20 April 2010. p. 5.
  16. ^ Travis, Alan (22 October 2009). "Keir Starmer defends Human Rights Act against critics". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 3 July 2020. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  17. ^ Sparrow, Andrew; Travis, Alan (22 October 2009). "Tories attack Keir Starmer over human rights comments". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 3 July 2020. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  18. ^ "Outdated Crown Prosecution Service should be modernised, says DPP". The Guardian. 30 November 2009. Archived from the original on 3 July 2020. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  19. ^ Bowcott, Owen (2 December 2011). "Lawyers with laptops log on in cost-saving measure". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 3 July 2020. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  20. ^ Sparrow, Andrew (5 February 2010). "Three Labour MPs and one Tory peer face expenses abuse charges". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2 July 2020.
  21. ^ Evans, Martin (20 September 2011). "Expenses MPs and their sentences: how long each served". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 4 July 2020. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  22. ^ Hirsch, Afua; Siddique, Haroon (8 September 2010). "Keir Starmer backs US-style murder charges for England and Wales". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 3 July 2020. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  23. ^ Greenwood, Chris (17 November 2010). "'Insufficient evidence' against MI5 officer over torture claims". Independent. Archived from the original on 3 July 2020.
  24. ^ Norton-Taylor, Richard (17 November 2010). "MI5 officer will not be prosecuted over Binyam Mohamed abuse". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2 July 2020.
  25. ^ "MI5 and MI6 cleared over torture allegations but CPS launches new illegal rendition inquiry". The Telegraph. 12 January 2012. Archived from the original on 2 July 2020.
  26. ^ Dodd, Vikram; Lewis, Paul (22 July 2010). "Ian Tomlinson death: police officer will not face criminal charges". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 26 June 2019. Retrieved 12 May 2019.
  27. ^ "DPP's statement on the decision to prosecute Simon Harwood". The Guardian. 24 May 2011. Archived from the original on 22 December 2019. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
  28. ^ Walker, Peter; Lewis, Paul (19 July 2012). "Simon Harwood cleared of manslaughter". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 22 December 2019. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
  29. ^ Walker, Peter (17 September 2012). "Ian Tomlinson case: PC Simon Harwood sacked for gross misconduct". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 22 December 2019. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
  30. ^ BBC News (18 May 2011). "Stephen Lawrence pair face murder trial". BBC News. Retrieved 18 May 2011.
  31. ^ "Joint CPS and MPS statement on Stephen Lawrence case". Crown Prosecution Service. 18 May 2011. Archived from the original on 21 January 2012. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
  32. ^ Ritchie, Alice (5 January 2012). "Lawrence killers jailed for 'terrible and evil crime'". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  33. ^ BBC News (3 January 2012). "Stephen Lawrence murder: Dobson and Norris found guilty". BBC News. Retrieved 3 January 2012.
  34. ^ Hirsch, Afua (16 December 2010). "Keir Starmer orders change in dealing with rape claim retraction cases". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2 July 2020. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  35. ^ Hirsch, Afua (10 February 2011). "Rape guidelines may prevent unfair prosecutions of those who retract claim". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 3 July 2020. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  36. ^ "Urgent review ordered as £30m Lynette White police corruption trial collapses". Wales Online. 1 December 2011. Archived from the original on 3 October 2021. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
  37. ^ Morris, Steven (2 December 2011). "Largest ever trial of police officers collapses". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 3 October 2021. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
  38. ^ "A Killing in Tiger Bay". BBC. Archived from the original on 3 October 2021. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
  39. ^ Morris, Steven (26 January 2012). "Lynette White police corruption trial evidence found in south Wales". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 13 February 2022. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  40. ^ Bawdon, Fiona; Lewis, Paul; Newburn, Tim (3 July 2020). "Rapid riot prosecutions more important than long sentences, says Keir Starmer". Archived from the original on 20 April 2020.
  41. ^ Bawdon, Fiona (22 December 2011). "England riots: all-night courts praised, but were they a publicity stunt?". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 4 July 2020.
  42. ^ Jones, Sam (18 April 2011). "DPP asks power station protesters to appeal against trespass convictions". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 3 July 2020. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  43. ^ Weisbloom, David (6 December 2011). "Prosecutor facing action over undercover policeman". Channel 4 News. Archived from the original on 19 May 2020.
  44. ^ Evans, Rob (7 December 2011). "Top prosecutor rejects calls for deeper inquiry into police spies". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 4 July 2020.
  45. ^ "CPS announces Huhne charges". BBC News. 3 February 2012. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
  46. ^ Bowcott, Owen (6 March 2012). "Pursue masked protesters more vigorously, CPS says". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 3 July 2020. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  47. ^ Cohen, Nick (29 July 2012). "'Twitter joke' case only went ahead at insistence of DPP". The Observer. Archived from the original on 29 September 2015. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
  48. ^ Boseley, Sarah (23 November 2012). "CPS to crack down on female genital mutilation". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 3 July 2020. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  49. ^ Booth, Robert (19 December 2012). "Remorseful Twitter and Facebook jokers less likely to face prosecution". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 3 July 2020. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  50. ^ "Deleting abusive tweets swiftly may help avoid prosecution, says DPP". The Guardian. Press Association. 3 February 2013. Archived from the original on 24 July 2020. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  51. ^ Starmer, Keir (6 April 2014). "A voice for victims of crime". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 5 July 2024. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
  52. ^ Rawnsley, Andrew (2024-02-25). "Keir Starmer: The Biography by Tom Baldwin review – from 'can't win to can't lose': the making of a Labour leader". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-06-29.
  53. ^ a b Meikle, James (6 March 2013). "Prosecutor demands overhaul of sexual abuse investigations". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 18 August 2020. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  54. ^ a b Laville, Sandra (6 March 2013). "Specialist Met unit in London to tackle gang-led child sex abuse". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2 July 2020. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  55. ^ Starmer, Keir (2014-04-06). "A voice for victims of crime". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-06-27.
  56. ^ "Rape investigations 'undermined by belief that false accusations are rife'". The Guardian. 13 March 2013. Archived from the original on 17 July 2020. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  57. ^ Martinson, Jane (10 July 2013). "Keir Starmer to launch inquiry into fall in reports of rape and domestic violence". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 3 July 2020. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  58. ^ Malik, Shiv (16 December 2013). "Benefit cheats face increased jail terms of up to 10 years". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2 July 2020.
  59. ^ Ivanovic, Josip (7 March 2014). "Serbia 'Tried to Eradicate Croatian Population'". Balkan Transitional Justice.
  60. ^ "BHA welcomes DPP clarification of guidelines around assisted dying". Humanists UK. 17 October 2014. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
  61. ^ "BHA urges MPs to vote in favour of Assisted Dying Bill". Humanists UK. 10 September 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
  62. ^ Branagh, Ellen (23 July 2013). "Stephen Lawrence barrister Alison Saunders to take over from Keir Starmer as new Director of Public Prosecutions". The Independent. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  63. ^ "Saunders to replace Starmer at DPP". Liverpool Daily Post. 23 July 2013. Archived from the original on 13 December 2019. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  64. ^ "Keir Starmer heads Labour's victim treatment review". BBC News. 28 December 2013. Archived from the original on 17 June 2019. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  65. ^ a b Atwal, Kay (19 November 2013). "Keir Starmer QC, awarded honorary doctorate by east London university". Newham Recorder. Archived from the original on 16 July 2019. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  66. ^ "No evidence for Boris Johnson's claim about Keir Starmer and Jimmy Savile". BBC News. 3 February 2022. Archived from the original on 8 February 2022. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  67. ^ "Boris Johnson's policy chief Munira Mirza resigns over PM's Savile remarks". BBC News. 3 February 2022. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  68. ^ "Boris Johnson tries to 'clarify' Jimmy Savile 'slur' against Sir Keir Starmer after days of criticism". Sky News. 3 February 2022. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  69. ^ a b "Keir Starmer: Two arrested after protesters surround Labour leader". BBC News. 7 February 2022. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  70. ^ Mason, Rowena; Elgot, Jessica (7 February 2022). "MPs blame Boris Johnson's 'poison' after protesters mob Keir Starmer". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  71. ^ Elgot, Jessica; Stewart, Heather (8 February 2022). "Johnson will not apologise for Jimmy Savile remark, says minister". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  72. ^ "No 10 has no intention of apologising after protesters surround Sir Keir Starmer". BBC News. 8 February 2022. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  73. ^ Townsend, Mark (13 February 2022). "Met investigates death threats against Keir Starmer in wake of Johnson's Savile slur". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  74. ^ "Crown Office". London Gazette. Archived from the original on 24 December 2019. Retrieved 24 December 2019.
  75. ^ "Knighthood: former Director of Public Prosecutions Keir Starmer QC". Awards Intelligence. 2 January 2014. Archived from the original on 21 October 2019. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  76. ^ "No. 60728". The London Gazette (1st supplement). 31 December 2013. p. 3.
  77. ^ "The New Year Honours List 2014 – Higher Awards" (PDF). GOV.uk. 30 January 2013. Archived (PDF) from the original on 31 December 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
  78. ^ "Why is Keir Starmer a Sir? How the Labour leader got his knighthood". Yahoo News. 2024-07-05. Retrieved 2024-07-13.
  79. ^ "Honorary Graduates – Profile: Keir Starmer QC". University of Essex. Archived from the original on 16 July 2019. Retrieved 23 June 2015.
  80. ^ O'Rourke, Tanya. "Honorary graduates". University of Leeds. Archived from the original on 4 September 2019. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  81. ^ Bennett, Dan. "LSE Honorary Degrees". London School of Economics. Archived from the original on 16 July 2019. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  82. ^ "Keir Starmer QC awarded an LSE Honorary Degree". London School of Economics. Archived from the original on 16 July 2019. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  83. ^ "Leading legal figure awarded Honorary Degree". University of Reading. 14 July 2014. Archived from the original on 16 November 2018. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  84. ^ "Sir Keir Starmer KCB QC". University of Worcester. 18 November 2014. Archived from the original on 16 November 2018. Retrieved 2 June 2018.