header-logo header-logo

Home Login E-newsletter About us
15 April 2020 / Patrick Allen
Issue: 7884 / Categories: Opinion , Profession
printer mail-detail

Labour under Keir Starmer: reasons to be cheerful?

© Copyright LexisNexis 2026. All Rights Reserved.
Sir Keir Starmer’s appointment marks the return of an effective opposition, says Patrick Allen
Sir Keir Starmer QC was finally appointed last month as leader of the Labour Party with the ending of the interminably long election process.

This is welcome news for the country and all who care about progressive causes. For the past four months we have had no effective opposition to the government and the last leader presided over the worst result that Labour has achieved in an election since 1935.

But the legal profession should be especially pleased that Keir Starmer will now occupy one of the most influential roles in politics. Starmer is someone with an intimate knowledge of the legal system and the courts and has every chance of becoming Prime Minister.

Legal career

Starmer brings many good qualities and wide experience to the role of leader of the opposition. First, his legal background and training. He enjoyed an eminent career at the bar, becoming a QC at the age of

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Read All
Sidley—James Inness

Sidley—James Inness

Partner joins capital markets team in London office

Haynes Boone—William Cecil

Haynes Boone—William Cecil

Firm announces appointment of partner as UK general counsel

Devonshires—Nicholas Barrows

Devonshires—Nicholas Barrows

Firm appoints first chief marketing officer to drive growth strategy

NEWS
Read All
NLJ this week: CPR tweak closes third-party disclosure gap
A seemingly dry procedural update may prove potent. In his latest 'Civil way' column for NLJ this week, Stephen Gold explains that new CPR 31.12A—part of the 193rd update—fills a ‘lacuna’ exposed in McLaren Indy v Alpa Racing
NLJ this week: Court of Appeals wrestles with Mazur fallout
The long-running Mazur saga edged towards its finale as the Court of Appeal heard arguments on whether non-solicitors can ‘conduct litigation’. Writing in NLJ this week, Professor Dominic Regan of City Law School reports from a packed courtroom where 16 wigs watched Nick Bacon KC argue that Mr Justice Sheldon had failed to distinguish between ‘tasks and responsibilities’
NLJ this week: Appeal court reins in ‘wrong defendant’ switcheroo

The Court of Appeal has slammed the brakes on claimants trying to swap defendants after limitation has expired. In Adcamp LLP v Office Properties and BDB Pitmans v Lee [2026] EWCA Civ 50, it overturned High Court rulings that had allowed substitutions under s 35(6)(b) of the Limitation Act 1980, reports Sarah Crowther of DAC Beachcroft in this week's NLJ

NLJ this week: Driving test fraudsters steer towards jail
Cheating in driving tests is surging—and courts are responding firmly. Writing in NLJ this week, Neil Parpworth of De Montfort Law School charts a rise in impersonation and tech-assisted fraud, with 2,844 attempts recorded in a year
NLJ this week: Deepfakes demand data law muscle
As AI-generated ‘deepfake’ images proliferate, the law may already have the tools to respond. In NLJ this week, Jon Belcher of Excello Law argues that such images amount to personal data processing under UK GDPR
Copyright © 2026 LexisNexis
back-to-top-scroll