Prime member offer
3 months free trial
£0.00
  • Get 3 months of Audible membership free
  • Includes 1 audiobook of your choice each month + unlimited listening to thousands of select audiobooks and podcasts.
  • After 3 months Audible is £7.99 /month.
  • Renews automatically. Cancel anytime. Terms apply.
Sold and delivered by Audible, an Amazon company
List Price: £12.99
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible’s Conditions Of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice.
Sold and delivered by Audible, an Amazon company

Keir Starmer: The Biography Audible Audiobook – Unabridged


THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

‘Required reading for anyone who has an interest in who governs Britain' ALASTAIR CAMPBELL

'This will be the most important political book of the year’ MATTHEW D’ANCONA, EVENING STANDARD

'The first serious and consistently readable biography of Starmer…It is a wonder that he has said so much to Baldwin' PATRICK MAGUIRE, THE TIMES

This authoritative – but not authorised – biography by Tom Baldwin provides answers by drawing deeply on many hours of interviews with the Labour leader himself, as well as unprecedented access to members of his family, his oldest friends and closest colleagues.

Together, they tell an unexpectedly intimate story filled with feelings of grief and love that has driven him on more than any rigid ideology or loyalty to a particular faction.

The book tracks Starmer’s emergence from a troubled small town background and rebellious youth, through a storied legal career as a human rights barrister and the country’s chief prosecutor, to becoming an MP relatively late in life.

Baldwin provides a vivid and compelling account of how this untypical politician then rose to be leader of his party in succession to Jeremy Corbyn, then transformed it with a ruthless rapidity that has enraged opponents from the left just as much as it has bewildered those on the right.

Above all, this is a book that should be read by anyone who wants to understand how someone who has too often been underestimated or dismissed as dull, now intends to change Britain.

'This is an absolutely riveting and very timely biography' AMOL RAJAN

‘Highly readable… Baldwin has peeled back more layers than anyone else' ROBERT SHRIMSLEY, FINANCIAL TIMES

‘Tom Baldwin’s portrait is off a tough, conscientious, and kindly man with the right values' ANDREW MARR, NEW STATESMAN

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

Review

'As well as being very well written, Baldwin obtained considerable access and he presents a compelling picture of what Starmer is like, and in particular how he was brought up. If you admire Starmer, you should definitely read it. And if you don’t like him, you should read it anyway, because he could be PM for the next 10 years and it may be a very long time before anyone produces a better or fairer account of what makes him tick'

ANDREW SPARROW, GUARDIAN

'The access is so comprehensive and his subject so uncharacteristically candid that exploring this private world can almost feel prurient… At times it is unclear whether Starmer grasps the significance of what he has done in cooperating with this biography’

PATRICK MAGUIRE, THE TIMES

'Told with sensitivity and simplicity… The picture painted of Sir Keir’s motivations and make-up is skillfully done, with all the nuance kept in'

BEN RILEY-SMITH, DAILY TELEGRAPH

‘A fair minded, unflashy biography…[of] our next serious Prime Minister. Watch this space. Attlee may have some competition’

ROBERT MCCRUM, INDEPENDENT

‘A highly informative, illuminating and insightful biography… the most complete portrait we have yet been offered’

OBSERVER

About the Author

TOM BALDWIN has spent most of his life writing about or working in politics from Westminster to Washington. He began his career on local newspapers before having senior roles for the Sunday Telegraph and The Times. He was the Labour Party’s communications director under Ed Miliband and later helped run a mass campaign for a second referendum on Europe. He lives in London with his family.

Read & Listen

Switch between reading the Kindle book & listening to the Audible narration with Whispersync for Voice.
Get the Audible audiobook for the reduced price of £13.99 after you buy the Kindle book.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
202 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the content insightful, well-written, and interesting. They also describe the reading experience as good and interesting with a humble background.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

17 customers mention ‘Content’15 positive2 negative

Customers find the book's content insightful, authoritative, and thorough. They also say it's an excellent biography.

"...The book is fast moving and compellingly written, full of insight and illumination. Well worth the money!" Read more

"The book is easy to read and informative. Strongly recommended." Read more

"Interesting biography of our likely next P.M. Useful & informative. From back street to Downing Street via Buckingham Palace methinks. Reassuring...." Read more

"Well written and easy to read it is full of interesting anecdotes, references and stories to really help the reader gain an insight in to the..." Read more

14 customers mention ‘Biography’14 positive0 negative

Customers find the biography well-written, with interesting anecdotes, references, and stories. They also say it's an excellent political biography and brilliantly readable.

"...The book is fast moving and compellingly written, full of insight and illumination. Well worth the money!" Read more

"The book is easy to read and informative. Strongly recommended." Read more

"Interesting and informative biography about a man who went from cant win to cant lose...." Read more

"Interesting biography of our likely next P.M. Useful & informative. From back street to Downing Street via Buckingham Palace methinks. Reassuring...." Read more

13 customers mention ‘Reading experience’13 positive0 negative

Customers find the book gripping and interesting, with a humble background. They also say it's full of unexpected details.

"...So worth a read. - and I'm fussy about what I read." Read more

"Bought this and found it to be a gripping read, full of unexpected detail - really fills in the background of this man - he turns out to be someone..." Read more

"The book is easy to read and informative. Strongly recommended." Read more

"...Well written book about a complex (but never boring) man who is now our prime Minister." Read more

4 customers mention ‘Life and experiences’4 positive0 negative

Customers find the book contains a good description of Starmer's life. They also say he is an interesting, amazing man with a humble background.

"...What an interesting and amazing man, the right man for the job - at last!" Read more

"This is like a 2:2 essay. It contains a good description of Starmer's life, and it is clear that he is a good chap, but we knew that anyway...." Read more

"Such a good read, with a humble background, very interesting." Read more

"Revealing and compelling portrait of Starmer..." Read more

Insightful
5 out of 5 stars
Insightful
Interesting and informative biography about a man who went from cant win to cant lose. The book covers Keir Starmers youth, his job as a barrister, DPP, MP, Labour leader, and Prime Minister in waiting with immense detail and precision. Despite being dubbed 'Mr Boring,' I felt a side of Starmer we dont often see come through in the book, least of all his love of football and Arsenal, and his relationship with his parents. Highly recommend for anyone wanting to know more about the current PM
Thank you for your feedback
Sorry, there was an error
Sorry, we couldn't load the review

Top reviews from United Kingdom

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 25 April 2024
I have met Keir Starmer and the man I met (before he was Labour Leader) is the man in this book. So worth a read. - and I'm fussy about what I read.
17 people found this helpful
Report
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 2 March 2024
Bought this and found it to be a gripping read, full of unexpected detail - really fills in the background of this man - he turns out to be someone with a moving past and someone I think most of the country will respect, if not admire. The book is fast moving and compellingly written, full of insight and illumination. Well worth the money!
29 people found this helpful
Report
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 9 July 2024
So refreshing to read a biography that clearly tells the truth with the co-operation of the subject. Well written book about a complex (but never boring) man who is now our prime Minister.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 3 May 2024
The book is easy to read and informative. Strongly recommended.
7 people found this helpful
Report
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 10 July 2024
Interesting and informative biography about a man who went from cant win to cant lose. The book covers Keir Starmers youth, his job as a barrister, DPP, MP, Labour leader, and Prime Minister in waiting with immense detail and precision. Despite being dubbed 'Mr Boring,' I felt a side of Starmer we dont often see come through in the book, least of all his love of football and Arsenal, and his relationship with his parents. Highly recommend for anyone wanting to know more about the current PM
Customer image
5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 10 July 2024
Interesting and informative biography about a man who went from cant win to cant lose. The book covers Keir Starmers youth, his job as a barrister, DPP, MP, Labour leader, and Prime Minister in waiting with immense detail and precision. Despite being dubbed 'Mr Boring,' I felt a side of Starmer we dont often see come through in the book, least of all his love of football and Arsenal, and his relationship with his parents. Highly recommend for anyone wanting to know more about the current PM
Images in this review
Customer image
Customer image
One person found this helpful
Report
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 1 June 2024
Interesting biography of our likely next P.M. Useful & informative. From back street to Downing Street via Buckingham Palace methinks. Reassuring. Not long to go.....
13 people found this helpful
Report
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 13 July 2024
I wanted to know who this ‘quiet man’ is now that he is our Prime Minister. For the first time in decades I have hope that our country is going to be governed for everyone and not just for a few groups. What an interesting and amazing man, the right man for the job - at last!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 19 May 2024
I wouldn’t normally buy a book at this stage of someone’s political career, but Keir Starmer It’s something of an enigma. Having read this book I now feel I know the man and his motivations far more he may not be a classic politician, more a lawyer, But I now understand the values that drive him and help convince me that when in Office he will bring about change.
2 people found this helpful
Report