Human rights lawyer to political reformer: Who is Keir Starmer, the UK's new would-be prime minister

LONDON — After 14 years of tumultuous Conservative rule, Britain's Labour Party is expected to shake up the country's politics with a return to power this year.

The left-of-center opposition party retains a commanding lead of around 20 points over current Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Conservatives, according to the latest YouGov poll. The voting intention survey, which was conducted on June 12-13, showed Labour on 37%, the Conservatives on 18% and the newly re-emerged Brexit figurehead Nigel Farage's Reform on 19%.

But who is Keir Starmer — Labour's leader and the clear favorite to become prime minister after Britain's July 4 election? And what does he stand for?

Starmer was born in London, England in 1962 to a father who worked as a toolmaker and mother who worked as a nurse.

The 61-year-old has often referenced his modest beginnings as a point of connection with British voters, and says his mother's lifelong battle with a severe illness has given him a deep gratitude for the National Health Service (NHS).

Starmer became the first in his family to go to university, studying law at the University of Leeds. After postgraduate studies at the University of Oxford, Starmer began working as a barrister (trial attorney) in 1987, taking on high-profile cases including against Shell, McDonald's and former Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's mine closures.

Starmer also served as a human rights adviser during former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair's Northern Ireland Good Friday Agreement.

In 2008, a year after marrying his wife, Victoria, Starmer became director of public prosecutions, putting him at the head of the U.K.'s Crown Prosecution Service.

Starmer received a knighthood in 2014 for his services to criminal justice,