The truth behind why Victoria Starmer has chosen to be invisible

It’s exactly a year since Keir Starmer got the keys to Downing Street. Three hundred and sixty-five days since I stood at my local polling station in Kentish Town and saw Keir and his Me+Em-clad wife Victoria Starmer do the customary voting shot on election morning. It was quite the media scrum here in NW5 – the community centre at one of the local council estates, which usually hosts mum-and-baby singing or drop-ins, was besieged by the world’s press.

It’s funny when the media circus descends on somewhere you know so well; our prime minister and his wife are good north London citizens, sending their kids to local schools. I often saw Victoria at Tufnell Park station (Kentish Town was closed for a year for refurbishment). In her elegant trouser suits and long bob, she had a very north London working mum aesthetic. She fitted in just fine.

A year ago, I wrote about how I hoped Victoria would be a new kind of “first lady” – one who bucked the traditional trend of buy-one-get-one-free political wives. It’s amazing how many consort occupants of Downing Street have made being “Mrs Prime Minister” their primary identity. Lest we forget Cherie Blair, with her stylist Carole Caplin, being photographed in her Downing Street bedroom applying lip gloss. Or Samantha Cameron, who released shots of her trendified Downing Street flat with its LOVE pillows, on-trend DVD box sets (remember those?) and OKA shelving.

As the first official consort occupant not to be married to her PM partner, Carrie Johnson courted a deluge of media attention for her luxury Lulu Lytle makeover of No 11, lockdown parties, and extravagant tastes. Even Mrs Rishi Sunak was proudly paraded everywhere from Yorkshire to global summits, discussing loading the dishwasher and pretending she was just like the rest of us – despite being one of the world’s richest women.

By contrast, Lady Starmer, a former solicitor and proud occupational health professional, has flown almost entirely under the radar over the past 12 months. Fiercely private about the family’s home life, she’s not one to do a sit-down interview with a glossy magazine. When she did grace the cover of Tatler, the profile had to be stitched together from quotes by those close to her. Described as a “spectral presence” whom many in Labour circles have never met, friends were said to be “terrified of saying much about Victoria – even when it was complimentary”.

In the past year, Victoria Starmer has only appeared fleetingly at a handful of official events. She was there to turn on Downing Street’s Christmas lights, at an 80th anniversary celebration of VE Day, and during an emotional return to Auschwitz for a Holocaust memorial. We also saw her at a Taylor Swift Eras tour concert, in the Wimbledon Royal Box, and at the Vatican for Pope Francis’s funeral.

While Keir Starmer told The Observer that, after the row over accepting expensive gifts – including tickets to see Swift with his family – what really upset him was his wife being dubbed “Lady Victoria Sponger”, her disappearing act is certainly not a case of having a thin skin, but more a positive and empowered decision by Victoria to just do things differently.

If there is a normal life to be had in Downing Street (where they live in the larger flat at No 11), Victoria has seemingly achieved the impossible and managed it. Her husband generally avoids having meetings or drinks with colleagues back at the flat, so it’s kept very much as a family zone – just like their home in Kentish Town. With no interest in being a public figure, Lady Vic has had a year of simply nipping off to work, looking after her teenage children, and mostly staying well away from photo calls or wifely appearances to soften her husband’s image.

Of course, nature abhors a vacuum – and just like with the Princess of Wales, Victoria’s lack of public profile has led to some pretty wild speculation about their marriage. But wisely, instead of attending to these vicious lies, Victoria has brushed off any malicious gossip, preferring to defuse rumours through quiet and steady support behind closed doors.

And it feels very refreshing to have a PM’s spouse who is doing an ordinary gig in the NHS, feeding back the reality of life on the ground, instead of sacrificing her independence to swan around with other political spouses at G7 summits. As a highly intelligent and photogenic woman, she is a potent and valuable asset to her husband. But even more important – to the rest of womankind – is her refusal to be used as a Wag trophy or to publicly play a part in a power couple. This matters. For centuries, it’s been assumed that men who take big jobs – whether as ambassadors abroad or as top politicians – will have a wife who comes as part of the BOGOF package: providing social oil, hosting dinners, remembering names, and making everyone feel welcome and looked after.

Given the dire state of never-here-Keir’s current standing within the Labour Party (how did a PM with a landslide majority read his backbenchers’ mood so badly he ended up having to torpedo his own disability benefit reform bill to avoid a humiliating defeat?), I don’t doubt the pressure could be on his wife to change the mood – to appear in public, to show her husband in a more positive light.

Even the incomparable Michelle Obama was called upon to introduce Barack, talking about how she loved him despite his stinky socks and late-night almond habit (he would never eat more than seven nuts). Such wives were expected to work like Trojans behind the scenes to prop up the husband’s public role. (Anyone else remember Norma Major and her publicly paraded frozen grated cheese in Tupperware to make John Major seem more relatable and thrifty? Or even Mr May, wheeled out in shots of their annual walking holiday in the Swiss Alps to try and convince us that Theresa was human after all?)

But Lady Vic has said goodbye to all that. Everything about her suggests that she will stick to her guns and resist being trotted out to improve Keir’s standing with the public. Letting her husband get on with the job, while she gets on with hers, is what she does best. And she should be applauded for sticking to her principles – keeping her kids out of the spotlight and carrying on as normal, even when it’s not really normal at all. Something I was reminded of yesterday as I walked down the street where the Starmer family home was firebombed in May.

The charred brickwork was a stark example of the high personal cost that political families pay for being in the public eye. It’s Vic’s sister who lives there now, and she was upstairs with her partner when the front door was set alight. “She happened to still be awake,” Keir told his biographer last month, “so she heard the noise and got the fire brigade. But it could have been a different story.”

Vic is all too aware of the dangers in a highly polarised world. I vividly remember pro-Palestinian groups leaving piles of children’s shoes outside the Starmer home and demonstrating against Keir’s policies on our high street. No doubt she has had bile thrown at her family because of her Jewish roots and faith. Last month marked nine years since Labour MP Jo Cox – a beloved wife and mother – was murdered in her constituency, stabbed 15 times. The risk is real; many senior politicians receive near-daily death threats.

In such a highly charged, toxic environment, Victoria’s conviction to stay firmly below the parapet is entirely understandable and sensible. The risk to her teenage kids (whom Keir has said he wants to be able to walk to school and live their own lives – we don’t even know the name of their younger child) is real. We should be pleased that Victoria has resisted the kind of family photo calls beloved of the Blairs, Camerons, or even the Browns. Today, there are no halfway houses. You either play the publicity game – or you totally don’t.

Instead, Vic has pursued her own independence, protecting herself and her kids in the process. Their dad has chosen to be PM—the rest of the family hasn’t. She has honoured their commitment to staying out of the limelight.

As we hit the first anniversary of the first family moving into Downing Street – well done, Lady Vic. You’ve played a blinder.

Ex-Arsenal star Thomas Partey charged with five counts of rape

Former Arsenal footballer Thomas Partey has been charged with raping two women.

The Metropolitan Police said the midfielder faces five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault following alleged offences between 2021 and 2022.

Partey “denies all the charges against him” and “welcomes the opportunity to finally clear his name”, his lawyer said.

The Ghanaian international was charged four days after leaving the North London club.

Partey is accused of two counts of rape against one woman and three counts of rape against another.

The sexual assault allegation relates to a third woman, police added.

Partey, 32, of Hertfordshire, is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 5 August.

Jaswant Narwal, of the CPS, said: “The Crown Prosecution Service has today authorised the prosecution of Thomas Partey for multiple counts of rape – after carefully reviewing a comprehensive file of evidence.

“Our prosecutors have worked closely with officers in the Metropolitan Police who have carried out the investigation, to review the evidence and advise on the appropriate charges.

“We remind everyone that criminal proceedings are active, and the defendant has the right to a fair trial.

“We know there will be significant public interest in this announcement, but it is absolutely vital that there is no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings.”

In a statement, Partey’s lawyer Jenny Wiltshire, of Hickman and Rose, said her client denies all the charges.

“He has fully cooperated with the police and CPS throughout their three-year investigation.

“He now welcomes the opportunity to finally clear his name.

“Given that there are now ongoing legal proceedings, my client is unable to comment further.”

The Metropolitan Police said the investigation into Partey began in February 2022 after officers first received a report of rape.

Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy, whose team is leading the investigation, said: “Our priority remains providing support to the women who have come forward.

“We would ask anyone who has been impacted by this case, or anyone who has information, to speak with our team.”

Partey joined Arsenal from Atletico Madrid in 2020 in a transfer worth around £45 million.

He played 35 games for the North London club in the Premier League last season, scoring four goals.

Trump in ‘important’ call with Zelensky after US president told Putin ‘mocking’ peace

Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky held a “very important” conversation on Friday afternoon, the Ukrainian president’s chief of staff said.

The presidents discussed the supply of air defences to Ukraine, which was partially halted by Washington this week over concerns about stockpiles at home, according to a report in Axios.

They also discussed escalating Russian aerial attacks, after Moscow’s forces fired 550 drones and missiles at Ukraine overnight on Friday – which Kyiv says is the largest attack of the war so far.

“A very important and meaningful conversation between the Presidents,” said Andriy Yermak, adding that further details would come “soon”.

The phone call took place after a Polish minister warned Donald Trump that Vladimir Putin is “mocking” his efforts towards peace, following a huge Russian air attack on Kyiv.

Kyiv’s authorities said at least 23 people were injured and heavy damage was sustained to railway infrastructure, buildings and cars.

“President Trump, Putin is mocking your peace efforts,” Polish foreign minister Radosław Sikorski told the US president in an X post.

Meanwhile, Dutch and German intelligence agencies both said on Friday Russia has made “widespread” use of chemical weapons in Ukraine.

Huge explosion in Rome injures dozens of people

Dozens of people have been injured, residents have been forced to flee and a summer camp was evacuated after an explosion at a petrol station in Rome on Friday morning.

Police have opened an investigation into the incident and seized the station, local media reports.

An enormous orange fireball shot into the sky while huge plumes of dark grey smoke billowed over buildings in the Italian capital.

By the afternoon, at least 45 people were confirmed to have been injured by the explosion, including eight police officers and one firefighter, according to Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, as fire crews continue to work to put out the blaze.

Two people were seriously injured, including the driver of a gas tanker involved in the incident, the newspaper reported.

The police union told the newspaper that one police officer was in a “red code” for the burns he sustained.

Several other people were being treated for trauma injuries including fractures, after falling as a result of the explosion.

Rome’s police commissioner Roberto Massucci said the explosion was caused by an accident during the unloading of LPG at the station.

Some residents told Corriere that “pieces of glass and iron were flying” in the explosion, which rocked nearby buildings.

A fire broke out at first, followed by two explosions in quick succession around 8.18am local time, according to local media. The second blast was the biggest.

Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni has spoken to the mayor of Rome Roberto Gualtieri about the incident, Corriere reports. Mr Gualtieri said Italy’s president Sergio Mattarella also spoke with him.

“I updated him on the situation and he asked me to convey his thanks to all the operators and the police who intervened promptly, avoiding worse consequences,” Mr Gualtieri said of his conversation with the president.

The mayor, who went to the scene of the explosion, thanked emergency services for their rapid response.

He said that response “allowed the immediate evacuation of all those present in surrounding structures, including a summer camp for children”.

The explosion occurred near via de Gordiani 32 in the district of Prenestino, in Rome’s southeast.

There is a nursery and sports club nearby, as well as several schools.

Video shows debris scattered across a sports field, while the fence to the area has been buckled by the force of the blast.

Italy’s fire service said 10 crews were on the scene working to douse the flames.

Is London’s stock market in crisis?

I will be accused of “clickbait” for posing that question. But look at the figures.

There were just five new listings – or Initial Public Offerings – in the first half of the year, raising £160m from investors. And, well, that is a miserable number.

According to data company Dealogic, it is the lowest in 30 years and a fall of 98 per cent when compared with the start of 2021 (when the UK was still suffering from the effects of the pandemic). It is even lower than the level recorded in the first part of 2009, when large parts of the City were still dealing with the after-effects of the financial crisis.

Once a global giant – that would get interest from any international company looking to list – the London Stock Exchange is shrinking, and fast. Statista shows it hosted more than 2,400 companies at the beginning of 2015. Now, the number is less than 1,700 and that number is falling. It’s now big news today if a feisty young British growth company chooses to stay home rather than head off to Wall Street.

Predators from overseas – whether other companies or private equity – see London as the perfect place to go shopping for bargains. KKR, a US private equity firm, has just had a £4.7bn offer for Spectris, a UK-based maker of testing equipment, high-tech instruments and software, accepted. That offer is at a 98 per cent premium to where the company’s shares were trading before the takeover interest became known.

Private equity companies are all about maths. They have strict targets for the returns from their assets and will only act where they feel those can be met. That KKR thinks it can still hit them while paying a 98 per cent premium speaks volumes about the low valuation this company had prior to the former’s emergence as a suitor.

Even more concerning are the rumours that the giants at the top of the market are also considering booking first-class transatlantic flights. Shell was rumoured to be looking at this last year. More recent speculation has swirled around AstraZeneca, the pharmaceutical giant. Its loss would be a brutal blow to both the City and the government – life sciences are a core part of its industrial strategy.

All this should worry ministers who say they are committed to a dynamic, modern, and crucially growing economy. The City provides an awful lot of high-paying jobs, and pays an awful lot of tax. The decline of the IPO market will inevitably result in redundancies and a reduction in revenues.

What to do? London’s strict listing rules have already been eased, to no great effect. The door has opened to controversial practices, such as allowing tech companies to offer dual-class shares, which concentrate power in the hands of their founders. Again, the results have proved to be singularly unimpressive.

The real problem is those valuations. London was once lauded for its deep pool of investment capital, which helped to keep them healthy. Trouble is, it has dried up. Regulation has resulted in big investment institutions such as pension funds and insurance companies dropping shares in favour of lower-risk assets, such as bonds. Brexit also catalysed the flight of billions of pounds of foreign capital. Retail investors have, meanwhile, shunned equities in favour of cash ISAs – even though they often fail to beat inflation.

The British government has, in recent years, expended a great deal of effort and energy on encouraging start-ups. Some of these have borne fruit – especially in tech, and financial tech – for which London has become a hub.

It needs to pay more attention to the next phase of their development, otherwise, as ungrateful as it may seem, they’ll join the transatlantic procession. They have a fiduciary duty to their investors, and as things stand, that duty will be easy to fulfil in the welcoming arms of New York. Headquarters will inevitably follow.

Regulatory reform must go further and faster, along with more radical action – call it a second big bang. Reeves must face down her critics – including the likes of Martin Lewis – and reduce cash ISA limits. Personally, I’d scrap the product. Harsh? Yes. But necessary to encourage saving through equities. Investors will ultimately thank her when they see how they are rewarded.

The UK also currently charges a 0.5 per cent tax on share trades above £1,000. This might not seem like much, but it soon adds up and acts as a disincentive to traders. It is much higher than the charges levied by rival financial centres.

Offering the City a £3.3bn tax break is bound to prove controversial in certain quarters – especially when the government is badly strapped for cash and the beneficiaries would likely be very wealthy – but it would be worth it, in my view.

But here’s the thing: the revenues produced by this levy are in decline, just as London’s place as a financial centre is on the wane. If scrapping it helped catalyse a revival, it would pay for itself, potentially many times over.

Broker Peel Hunt says that higher valuations would translate into higher capital gains and inheritance tax receipts. This is not a new argument. I remember the frustration expressed to me by a lobbyist about scepticism when they made the case to a Tory minister back in the 1990s. It’s time for a Labour minister to be bold and show the way.

It isn’t yet too late to pull London out of its despairing spiral. If Reeves were to unveil an aggressive package of measures, it would serve as a statement of intent that could very quickly change the narrative, persuading the potential leavers to stay put and encouraging new entrants to test the newly welcoming waters. Improving tax revenues and growth would swiftly follow.

How to host a Macmillan Coffee Morning like you’ve never seen before

What comes to mind when you think of a fundraising coffee morning? Soggy digestives, weak tea and sitting in a school hall having forced fun? Think again.

Macmillan Cancer Support are celebrating 35 years of the iconic Coffee Morning fundraiser, and we’re here to help you give your next Coffee Morning a glow-up. Behind the fun, Coffee Mornings help raise vital funds for people facing one of the toughest challenges of their lives.

Almost one in two people in the UK will get cancer in their lifetime, and no two experiences are the same. Where you live, who you are, or whether you have another health condition can all affect the care you receive – and that’s not fair. Macmillan is working to change that, doing whatever it takes to make sure everyone gets the best possible care, whoever and wherever they are.

So while tasty treats and fundraising fun of course get to stay, we’re leveling up the atmosphere with fresh ideas to keep everyone entertained.

Want to be a Coffee Morning Host?

Best of all, these new ways of raising vital funds don’t have to be expensive. In fact, they might even save you a bit of time, wardrobe space and money. Here’s how to host a Macmillan Coffee Morning like you’ve never seen before…

Organise a ‘style swap shop’

Clear out your wardrobe, raise money and bring your community together all at the same time by organising a ‘style swap shop’ – with all your finest, unworn or unwanted clothes and accessories.

Pack up the majestic hats you bought for a wedding but only wore once, the satin gloves that make you feel like Audrey Hepburn but don’t go with anything you own, or maybe that lace vintage dress your aunty wore to Glastonbury in the 70s, which now lives in an unexplored drawer in your bedroom.

Fill up a bag with your best cast-offs and get your friends, family and neighbours to do the same. Everyone pays £5 entry to the ‘style swap shop’ and then you all get to browse through each other’s preloved treasures – grabbing what takes your fancy.

One person’s hand-me-down is another person’s new look – so elbows at the ready! Want to raise extra cash? Add a £1-£2 price tag on each item that’s been donated.

Strut your stuff at a cake walk

We know that staying healthy and being physically active can reduce the risk of cancer, so why not combine the classic Coffee Morning with a walk around the block? Creative costumes, silly hats and streamers at the ready as we leave behind the school hall and instead take our cakes and cookies for a little jaunt to stretch our legs.

Up the fun, and the stakes, by upgrading from a cake walk to a cake race – the bigger and messier the dessert, the better!  And get the kids involved in the baking and racing too.

Or if you want to keep it indoors, turn your catwalk into a cake walk and give your best strut with your favourite pudding in hand. It’s giving egg and spoon race, jelly wobbling on a plate and doubling over with laughter as you sashay along clutching a platter filled with your finest roulade.

Dance away the morning at a sober rave

Why sit or stand when you can dance? Sober raves are all the rage – and ideal for a morning of fun with friends, family and neighbours. There’s no hangover, no late night and the kids can join in too – so, no need for a babysitter.

Grab your glow sticks for a Coffee Morning like no other, and you can still eat cake and have a brew or a cold drink. It’s a club night where nobody has to worry about the morning-after-the-night-before! You can host it in any hall, all you need is music and a disco ball.

You might feel silly at first, but soon you’ll be grinning with joy as dancing is proven to release endorphins (natural painkillers and mood boosters) as well as reducing stress and keeping you fit. Now, who does a good Big fish, little fish, cardboard box?

Run an Is it cake? competition

If you haven’t seen the Netflix hit Is it cake? – an American game show-style cooking competition, you’re missing a treat. Contestants compete to both identify and recreate their best version of everyday items – in cake form.

That could be fire hoses made from vanilla sponge and icing, kitchen utensils that cut open to reveal red velvet cake, replica designer handbags that are actually edible, and even other food items such as burgers, which are of course, cake.

Up the baking ante by running your own cake lookalike competition inspired by the show. The best thing about it is that even if your cake looks like a pair of stinky old sports shoes, it’ll still taste great!

Whether you’re swapping styles, raving sober or sculpting a sponge handbag, every slice of fun helps Macmillan Cancer Support do whatever it takes to help everyone living with cancer.

Signing up to host your own Macmillan Coffee Morning this year couldn’t be easier! Find out more today on the Macmillan website

Macmillan Cancer Support, registered charity in England and Wales (261017), Scotland (SC039907) and the Isle of Man (604). Also operating in Northern Ireland.

One year on, is Starmer still the best man Labour has for the job?

Keir Starmer has had the worst first year of any Labour prime minister since 1945 – less impressive, even, than Harold Wilson in his turbulent return to power in 1974.

Starmer’s team will dismiss that judgement. But that is precisely the problem: self-denial, defensiveness and an ignorance of history – not least the history of their own party. It points also to Starmer’s ongoing inability to pick the right people to surround himself with in No 10 – people who know how to do their jobs; who know what the prime minister should do; and who understand the system.

Let’s start with the positives. In the first year, he’s shown that he is very bright, hardworking, much better at foreign policy than most anticipated, and almost preternaturally calm under pressure.

There have been some successes – school breakfast clubs, cuts in NHS waiting lists, and three trade deals among them. Not a long list, and some are more promises than bankable achievements. But they are not insignificant.

But then, look at the downsides. Economic recovery? Non-existent. Improvements in public services and illegal immigration? Patchy.

Despite enjoying a weak and divided Tory opposition, Starmer has not performed well politically, alienating his own backbenchers, reigniting Corbynism, and doing nothing to quell the rise of Nigel Farage and Reform.

In political terms, the last seven days have been some of the worst for a Labour prime minister in years, with the U-turns culminating in the welfare bill farce on Tuesday evening, a series of embarrassing admissions of personal errors of judgement in the first year, and his inability to anticipate, or empathise with, his clearly distressed chancellor during Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday.

The mood in the Labour party is bleak: in No 10 it is bleaker still, with widespread despair replacing the joy of just a few months ago. It’s difficult to know what remains intact of the Starmer project now that the left is back in the ascendant, and with the national finances in such a bad state.

Business, which Starmer and Rachel Reeves worked so hard to win over, is deserting the party. The richest and best minds are leaving the country in droves for places where they think their contributions will be better valued. The policy of imposing VAT on independent school fees, which Labour said would not harm the schools concerned but would improve education for all, is in trouble; the full extent of the damage may become apparent next year.

A change of prime minister is widely talked about across Westminster and in the country. But a change would not help. Another year or more would be lost during the transition, with progress stalling on the economy, public services, and Britain’s security in the world. There is no guarantee that any successor would perform better. Andy Burnham, perhaps, but he’s just been re-elected in Manchester.

No: sticking with an improved Starmer is the best hope. Vision, people and communication – all interlinked – are required if he is to come back in the autumn capable of holding the initiative and setting the agenda, rather than bumbling along as he has been.

History teaches us that all the best prime ministers had a clear purpose for the country. Starmer is still to articulate his story. A prime minister is captain of the ship of state. Unless he sets out where the ship is sailing to, confusion reigns.

Better people are also needed to serve him. Successful prime ministers, without exception, had knowledgeable, strong and loyal teams around them. Yet Starmer came into No 10 with the most incomplete and inadequate team in 100 years.

The fault was entirely his own, and he needs now to correct it – starting with a chief of staff who knows how to be chief of staff. The incumbent, Morgan McSweeney, is brilliant at electoral strategy, but not at understanding Whitehall or at governing.

Finally, Starmer needs people who understand communications at a strategic and operational level to advise him. A mass injection of proven top talent from outside would reinvigorate and reimagine his premiership.

Here’s another thing about successful prime ministers: they learn on the job how to do it. But will he? Can he?

Anthony Seldon wrote ‘The Impossible Office? The History of the British Prime Minister’