BLINK Sir Keir Starmer refused to deny taking drugs SEVEN times in a grilling of The Sun’s Harry Cole.
In the premiere episode of Sun Politics’ new political show Never Mind The Ballots, the Labor leader was asked if he took illegal substances while working as a lawyer.
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Sir Keir Starmer refused to deny taking drugs SEVEN times in the first episode of Never Mind the BallotsCredit: Darren Fletcher
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Sir Keir faced fierce criticism from The Sun’s political editor Harry Cole Credit: Darren Fletcher
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Sir Keir also answered questions from The Sun readers’ cabinet Credit: Darren Fletcher
Sir Keir replied: “I had a good time when I was a student.”
When asked what exactly this means, the opposition leader replied: “It means that I was good when I was a student.”
In an extensive interview, Keir also:
Harry has once again hit the man who could be the next British Prime Minister.
But Sir Keir simply added, “I had a good time when I was a student and whatever you call this Harry… I won’t go down that road.”
The opposition leader studied law at Leeds, where he also became a member of the university’s Labor Club.
Sir Keir graduated with honors and went on to postgraduate studies at Oxford.
In a no-holds-barred interview, Sir Keir took a swipe at a Sun reader.
The prime minister-designate has refused to commit to protecting the triple lock for 12 million pensioners – warning he faces tough decisions.
And he warned that taxes would rise under Labor – but promised to protect Britain’s hardest hit workers who are already “overburdened”.
He also admitted he never believed Jeremy Corbyn would win when he told the public to vote for him – trying to dismiss accusations of dishonesty.
Drug taking, Brexit, Savile stains – Keir Starmer is grilled in our explosive new political show
The Labor leader also admitted he was paid to defend the Hiz-but-tahrir terror group, but said he had no regrets representing the “wrongdoers” as a lawyer.
He defended a series of policy moves since becoming Labor leader in The Sun’s new political show NEVER MIND THE BALLOTS – while dodging questions about transgender people, his drug use and his sex life.
Asked why he had broken so many of his promises in the past, Sir Keir insisted he was being honest with voters now.
But he warned: “I have to make a choice with the voters, and that is whether I’m going to talk before the election about what we can actually afford and what we can’t or pretend that we can provide something that I know we can’t.”
KEIR ANSWERS YOUR QUESTIONS
The Sun’s Harry Cole asks Keir Starmer your quick questions:
Harry: “What’s your favorite crunchy flavor?
Sir Keir: “Salt and vinegar.”
Harry: “An order of curry?”
Sir Keir: “Well I’m a vegetarian, so chana masala, vegetable curries… that sort of thing.”
Harry: “What’s the worst date you’ve ever gone on?
Sir Keir: “I will not reveal it in your program.”
Harry: “How much is a pint of milk?”
Sir Keir: “A pint of milk is about £1.10.”
Harry: “Do you have any tattoos?”
Sir Keir: “No, I don’t.”
Harry: “What’s your weirdest habit?”
Sir Keir: “I don’t know what my strangest habit is…”
Harry: “What’s the last book you read?”
Sir Keir: “I’m reading … I’m reading Melissa Bailey’s book, Beyond the Sea, which is an intriguing book so I’m in the middle of it. I haven’t finished it yet, but I’m halfway there.”
Harry: “Your drink after a hard day at the office?”
Sir Keir: “Pale Ale”
Harry: “How many people have you slept with?”
Sir Keir: “I won’t answer that.”
Faced with polls that showed many Britons viewed him as untrustworthy, Sir Keir insisted: “I’m in the camp of those who say, look, what I don’t want to have is a situation where, after the election, we break our promises.”
In news that will anger pensioners, the Labor leader has repeatedly refused to commit to protecting the triple lock, which sees pensions rise by inflation or the rate of pay each year.
He warned: “Obviously we’ll have to see what the state of the economy is as we go to the election, we’ll announce all our plans as we go in and answer that question, but I believe in the triple lock.”
Starmer also appears to have reversed his views on gender and once again failed to define what a woman is as he insisted the whole issue must be “treated with respect”.
Keir Starmer’s greatest turns
THE MAN OF MANY FACES
Sir Keir Starmer has become known as a big flip flop since becoming leader of the Labor Party.
Here, The Sun takes a look at some of its most obvious twists.
BREXIT
Sir Keir spent the whole of 2017 parliament trying to overturn Brexit.
When he ran for Labor leader in 2020, Sir Keir did not repeat his call for a second Brexit referendum but backed freedom of movement. After becoming leader, he said he would not cross the red line of accepting freedom of movement for EU citizens in any future negotiations on trade arrangements with Brussels after Brexit. However, he promised closer trade relations with Brussels.
NATIONALIZATION
When he ran for the Labor leadership, Sir Keir promised to put public services, including rail, post, energy and water, into “common ownership”.
But the promise didn’t last long. Back in September 2021, he rejected the possibility of nationalizing six large energy companies, and in July 2022, shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves gave up the obligation to nationalize several public services in one move.
The party still intends to bring rail operators into public ownership, but only when the current franchises expire.
EXTERNAL ASSOCIATES
One of Sir Keir’s other leadership promises included an end to private sector involvement in the NHS. Again, it didn’t last long as it was abandoned in the summer of 2022 and Sir Keir said the party would have to continue with some level or private provision of health services.
TUITION
Sir Keir has promised to end the “national scandal” of student debt by scrapping tuition fees in 2020.
Changing his position, he said that the country found itself in a “different financial situation”.
GREEN PROSPERITY PLAN
Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves pledged to invest £28bn a year in green projects when she addressed the first in-person conference under Sir Keir in 2021.
But in one of the most egregious U-turns, Labor announced in February that it would spend just over £4.7 billion a year.
The Labor leader has been trying to clarify his views on gender since 2021 when he struggled to say whether a woman can have a penis or not.
This year, he said that 99.9 percent of women “don’t have a penis” and also rejected plans to introduce a self-identification system for transgender people.
But asked if he still believed “women can have testicles”, he said only a very small number were affected.
He refused to answer how many women he slept with.
He said: “The whole issue here has to be treated with respect, reverence and dignity. And the Labor Party has fought for women’s rights all its life and will continue to do so.”
Pressed on his turnaround on gender equality reform, the Labor leader pointed to what happened in Scotland, before adding: “In the real world outside of politics when circumstances change, people adjust their position.”
Asked about his stance on trans women and whether they can define themselves as women, Sir Keir said: “Everybody knows there’s a difference between sex and gender. I absolutely understand and respect that. We’re not going down the road of self-identification.”
And he wouldn’t reveal the worst date he’s ever been on.
But the vegetarian Labor leader did reveal his favorite curry order… chana masala.
THE RISE OF KEIR STARMER
Sir Keir Starmer almost quit after a crushing defeat in the 2021 Hartlepool by-election, according to a new biography of the Labor leader.
Three years later, the former Director of Public Prosecutions looks set to be the next Prime Minister.
Obviously, the job isn’t done until all the votes are in, but the odds are undoubtedly in his favor after a string of by-election triumphs and a sustained and significant lead over the Tories in the polls.
But how did the London-born lawyer get there? Apart from the obvious luck that he found himself as Leader of the Opposition at a time when the Tories are doing themselves no favours.
Many, including Sir Keir, would be quick to point to the change he has brought about, including a shift from left to right.
Despite serving in Jeremy Corbyn’s shadow cabinet for several years, the Labor Party in 2024 looks very different to the one that suffered its heaviest defeat in 84 years in 2019.
Sir Keir has been relentless in distancing the party from his predecessor – and even swiftly suspended Mr Corbyn after he claimed anti-Semitism within Labor had been “dramatically exaggerated for political reasons” in response to a damning Equality and Human Rights Commission report.
He also made major constitutional changes to the Labor Party’s rule book – which infuriated the left.
And despite leaving him open to accusations that he is a big rogue, he has reneged on several political promises made during his leadership campaign, including ending outsourcing in the NHS.
And the team of people around him looks unrecognizable from a few years ago.
In the latest reshuffle, Sir Keir has promoted several Blairites to the shadow cabinet, and his team of advisers now includes former civil servant and Partygate prober Sue Gray.
While the Labor leader has so far been reluctant to outline any clear policy, it is clear that the party is no longer afraid to take on issues that were once traditionally seen as the party’s weak points. Some of them include the economy and illegal migration. Many would also say that his leadership was instrumental in fostering a sense of unity within the party – but perhaps when things are going well, it’s not so hard to get along.
The Sun launches a weekly political show, Never Mind the Ballots, hosted by political editor Harry Cole.
You can watch the first show on thesun.co.uk and The Sun’s YouTube channel on Thursday from 8pm.
You can help set the agenda too – by emailing questions to [email protected]
In a huge year for the country, Never Mind the Ballots will feature the biggest political interviews.
It will not only contain questions from Sun readers, but also opinions and insights from the Sun cabinet itself.
Our panel of voters with real-world experience of working in law and order, defence, schools, the NHS and running their own businesses, from a plumbing company to driving a black cab.
In the show, we will look at what readers actually want from the next government and who, if anyone, can win their vote.
The program will also feature The Sun’s award-winning Lobby team for their analysis and insight.
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