Starmer donates biography of himself to Downing Street library – BBC News
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Starmer donates biography of himself to Downing Street library
Image source:
Getty Images
Image caption:
Tom Baldwin’s "Starmer" biography was published in 2024
By Kate Whannel, Political reporter
Published 13 minutes ago
A book about the life of Sir Keir Starmer has become the newest addition to the Downing Street library, after being donated by Sir Keir himself.
Keir Starmer: The Biography, written by journalist and former Labour adviser Tom Baldwin, has now joined the collection of more than 400 books, some of which are kept in two bookcases in Downing Street’s Cabinet Room.
The library was established in 1931 by the first Labour Prime Minister, Ramsay MacDonald, and since then prime ministers and ministers have been invited to make contributions.
Seven ministers who served in Sir Keir’s government have also added books to the shelves.
The new donations include:
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Former Chancellor Rachel Reeves added her own book, Alice in Westminster: The political life of Alice Bacon
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Darren Jones, who served as a senior minister between 2024 and 2026, gave Laudato Si: On Care for our Common Home, a book by Pope Francis which calls for greater protection of the environment
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Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy offered her book All In: How we build a country that works
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Nick Thomas-Symonds, a Cabinet Office minister in the last government, also chose his own book – a biography of former Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson
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Women and Equalities minister Bridget Phillipson picked Choose Freedom: The Future for Democratic Socialism by former Labour deputy leader Roy Hattersley
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Former Wales Secretary Jo Stevens gave The Fed: a history of the South Wales miners in the twentieth century by Hywel Francis and Davis Smith
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Treasury minister James Murray donated Instruction to Deliver – a book by Sir Michael Barber about his experience being a civil servant in Tony Blair’s government
As Labour leader, Sir Keir did not appear to be much of a reader. In one interview in 2024, he struggled to name a favourite novel and when he appeared on Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs he picked an atlas as the book he would take with him.
In contrast, his successor Andy Burnham, an English Literature graduate, has spoken of his fondness for poetry, in particular the works of Tony Harrison and Philip Larkin.
He is unlikely to donate a volume to the library at this early stage of his premiership, but if he finds time to peruse the shelves, he will find an eclectic collection.
Unsurprisingly there are weighty tomes about politics, philosophy, history, religion – The Law and Custom of the Constitution (3 Vols), The Rhetoric of Aristotle – A Translation, An Analytical Concordance to The Holy Bible.
Many ministers have donated their own publications – Winston Churchill offered his history book, The World Crisis, 1911-18. Clement Attlee provided Purpose and Policy – a selection of his speeches. Margaret Thatcher gave her memoir The Downing Street Years.
Other prime ministers’ choices reflect their own personal passions – Ted Heath donated books about music and sailing. Keen reader Harold Macmillan gave a collection of Rudyard Kipling books.
Desperate prime ministers in need of miracle solutions may be tempted to turn to Magic Symbols of the World written by Pearl Binder, donated by her husband Frederick Elwyn-Jones.
Those looking for a bit of escapism could take a look at The Charm of Birds (donated by Foreign Secretary Edward Grey), Sea Songs (Deputy Prime Minister Michael Heseltine).
