UK’s Starmer Is Suddenly the West’s Last Leader Standing Tall

Prime minister is about to turn up at NATO fresh from victory
Fellow progressive leaders arrive encircled by domestic woes

Keir Starmer shakes hands with fellow candidates — including one dressed as Elmo — after he was declared winner of the Holborn and St Pancras constituency where he stood for reelection.Photographer: Stefan Rousseau/PA

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By Alex Wickham and Ellen Milligan

July 7, 2024 at 8:00 AM UTC

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One moment you’re shaking hands with Elmo in a town hall, the next you’re on the world’s biggest stage bearing the weight of the liberal order on your shoulders.

Keir Starmer — who’s spent the last six weeks campaigning under the one-word banner of ‘change’ — is about to discover how in politics, it can come at you fast.