Keir Starmer is typically private about his family, particularly his younger brother Nick, who died on Boxing Day aged 60.
But the Prime Minister clearly held a candle to a sibling, who ‘had a really tough life’ and was beset by health problems and learning difficulties.
Sir Keir today paid tribute to ‘a wonderful man’, who was suffering from cancer.
The politician expressed that Nick faced all of life’s challenges with bravery and a positive attitude, and mentioned that he and his family would dearly miss him.
Although the Labour leader rarely discussed Nick in public, he did show the depth of their bond by allowing journalist Tom Baldwin access for the book Keir Starmer: The Biography, which was released in February this year.
In it, Sir Keir describes how he was best man for Nick, and stood up for him after enduring bullying throughout his life.
Nick encountered complications during birth and was initially informed that he would never be able to read. However, with support from his mother, Jo, he eventually overcame this obstacle and learned how to read.
While young Keir was considered something of a star pupil, Nick was granted only ‘remedial’ education with lessons in a village hall and took no exams. But he later achieved a technical qualification, and was able to get a job as a labourer working on scrap cars and at a scaffolding firm.
Nick Starmer, the brother of Sir Keir Starmer, died on Boxing Day aged 60 after suffering from cancer
A young Keir Starmer pictured during his university days
The Prime Minister paid tribute to his ‘wonderful’ younger sibling
Sir Keir said in the biography: ‘Nick was dealt a very different set of cards to me and he’s had problems all his life — problems I’ve never had to face.
‘I admire him, not in spite of the way his life has taken another course to mine, but because of it.
‘I remember Dad saying to me many, many times: ‘Nick has achieved as much as you, Keir.’
Yet Nick’s learning difficulties and health issues meant he was unable to hold down a job for very long.
Sir Keir was best man for Nick when he got engaged to his girlfriend, describing how he borrowed a car so that his younger sibling wasn’t ‘driving his bride from the church in his beaten-up minivan, which had all his clothes in the back’, he told Baldwin.
The older brother also sprang into action when he discovered Nick had made no plans for a wedding reception after the ceremony.
Sir Keir raided the sandwich section of a local supermarket and created a makeshift marquee in the garden of Nick’s cottage to allow people to stand outside in the event of rain.
The marriage did not last, and Nick’s health got worse, with breathing problems and partial deafness preventing him from doing manual work.
A spokesman said: ‘Nick, 60, died peacefully on the afternoon of December 26 after battling cancer. We ask for privacy for Nick’s wider family at this time’
In 2021, Sir Keir persuaded Nick to use the money he had received from the sale of their parents’ house to buy himself a home in Yorkshire.
But Nick fell seriously ill and need an emergency operation.
The Labour leader broke off from campaigning in the local elections in order to visit his brother in hospital.
The abuse Nick received throughout his life, Sir Keir said, informed his own decision to refrain from using insulting words to others.
‘I shared a room with him, but Nick didn’t have many friends and got called ‘thick’ or ‘stupid’ by other kids,’ Sir Keir recalled.
‘Even now I try to avoid using words like that to describe anyone.’
Sir Keir has spoken a lot about his parents’ confidence that life was ‘going to get better for their kids’. But he acknowledged Nick’s experience’s did not chime with his parents’ aspirations.
‘The whole thing is so poignant,’ he told Baldwin, ‘because Nick has had a really tough life.
‘So that dream our mum and dad had for us hasn’t come true. There’s this real, deep sadness in me about that for my brother, and for them.’
A photo of Nick at home. The Prime Minister also has two sisters – Anna and Katy
In a moving statement issued today, Sir Keir thanked the doctors and nurses who had been treating Nick and remembered his brother’s resilience and good nature.
‘My brother Nick was a wonderful man. He met all the challenges life threw at him with courage and good humour,’ Sir Keir said.
‘We will miss him very much. I would like to thank all those who treated and took care of Nick. Their skill and compassion is very much appreciated.’
A spokesman for the PM said: ‘It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Nick Starmer.
‘Nick, 60, died peacefully on the afternoon of December 26 after battling cancer. We ask for privacy for Nick’s wider family at this time.’
Sir Keir had been due to spend Christmas with his family at Chequers, his official country residence, before going abroad for a few days over New Year.
The PM also has two sisters, Anna. and Katy (who was Nick’s twin).
MPs including Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch offered their condolences to the Prime Minister following the announcement of his brother’s death.
Mrs Badenoch said ‘such awful news’ was ‘particularly devastating at Christmas time’.
Julian Smith, the Tory MP for Skipton and Ripon, sent his ‘thoughts and prayers’ to Sir Keir, adding that it was a ‘particularly difficult time of year to lose a loved one’.
Dr Shabina Qayyum, a Labour councillor in Peterborough, wrote on X: ‘Deepest condolences to the Prime Minister, Sir @Keir_Starmer on the passing of his brother, Nick.
‘My thoughts are with his family at this sad time.’
