Following Keir Starmer’s inauguration as the new Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, it is noteworthy that the country’s new Labour prime minister found an unexpected mentor in former US President Obama. Starmer recently led the Labour Party to a landslide victory, securing an impressive 412 seats out of 650 in the House of Commons. He succeeded Rishi Sunak, who held the position at 10 Downing Street for 14 months.
How Obama Influenced Starmer to Embrace Vulnerability
According to a Politico report, the introduction between Obama and Starmer was facilitated by David Lammy, the Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Affairs in the UK since 2021. During Politico’s Power Play podcast, Lammy disclosed that Obama encouraged Starmer to present a more authentic persona.
“We have seen Keir Starmer increasingly share personal aspects such as his mother’s prolonged illness and his father’s caregiving role, aspects he now discusses more openly than in previous years. Obama strongly advocates for Keir to embrace this approach,” Lammy informed podcast host Anne McElvoy.
Lammy also revealed that, during several Zoom conversations, Obama emphasized the importance of 21st-century politicians “authentically communicating their identities.”
This advice empowered Starmer to openly discuss his personal life, including in a recent extended interview with Sky News, where he shared details about his mother’s struggle with Still’s disease, a rare form of inflammatory arthritis.
www.ibtimes.co.uk/keir-starmer-speech-how-barack-obama-helped-uks-new-prime-minister-vulnerable-1725266
h/t A Deplorable Neanderthal