Keir Starmer says intrusion into his children’s private lives is the ‘single thing that keeps me awake’ about the prospect of becoming PM

Sir Keir Starmer has admitted that fretting about how his children might adapt to life in Downing Street is the ‘single thing’ that keeps him awake at night.

The Labour leader, who is on course to become prime minister on current opinion polling, revealed his worries for his son and daughter should they move into No10.

In a new episode of BBC podcast ‘Political Thinking with Nick Robinson, Sir Keir spoke of his and his wife Victoria’s efforts to ‘protect’ their children.

Should he become PM after the general election, which is expected next year, the Labour leader insisted he was ‘really not daunted’ about taking office.

But he added: ‘I am worried about my children, that is probably the single thing that does keep me awake – as to how we will protect them through this.’

Sir Keir Starmer has admitted that fretting about how his children might adapt to life in Downing Street is the ‘single thing’ that keeps him awake at night.

In a new episode of BBC podcast ‘Political Thinking with Nick Robinson, the Labour leader spoke of his and his wife Victoria’s efforts to ‘protect’ their children

Rishi Sunak and his family shunned recent tradition by moving into the Downing Street flat above No10, rather than the more spacious residence above No11, when he became PM

Sir Keir, if he enters No10, would be among a number of recent PMs to move into Downing Street with a family.

Rishi Sunak, Liz Truss, Boris Johnson, David Cameron, Gordon Brown and Sir Tony Blair have all combined parenthood with life in No10.

Sir Keir revealed, as the general election draws nearer, he and his family were needing to be ‘very security conscious in a way that we weren’t before’.

He also conceded that life was becoming ‘different for my family, different for my children… and I worry about that’. 

‘I’m really not daunted about the difficult decisions we will have to make in government, if we get that far,’ Sir Keir told the podcast.

‘I am worried about my children, that is probably the single thing that does keep me awake – as to how we will protect them through this.

‘At the moment we’re in the stage of – this is very much Vic, my wife – let’s take each day as it comes.

‘So we don’t do the great planning or anything like that, that would be presumptuous.

‘But we do try to protect them. We don’t name them in public. My boy is 15 and my girl is 12. I want to protect them. We don’t use photos of them in any way.

‘I want to, for as long as I can, to preserve that space for them. But am I worried? I am worried.’

Mr Sunak and his family shunned recent tradition by moving into the Downing Street flat above No10, rather than the more spacious residence above No11, when he became PM.

Downing Street aides explained this is because the family were ‘very happy’ in the No10 flat when they lived there while Mr Sunak was Chancellor.

Since 1997, it has been custom for PMs to live in the No11 flat.

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