Following his last day as Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer had a boozy celebration with his Downing Street staff, it has emerged. Starmer was joined by his wife, Vic, and their children at a pub in north London last night (July 20).
He headed for the pub in Kentish Town with loyalists like Rachel Reeves after moving out of Downing Street to make way for Andy Burnham. Attendees included Darren Jones, Jo Stevens, and Richard Hermer, it is reported.
Starmer was also joined by No 10 officials and staffers as they drank wine and partied into the night. They could be seen refreshing X (formerly Twitter) to keep up with updates on Andy Burnham’s new Cabinet.
The walls of the pub were reportedly covered with behind-the-scenes photos from Starmer’s two-year stint as Prime Minister. Aides were spotted wearing custom-made T-shirts emblazoned with the ex-PM’s face, alongside the slogan ‘Starmer Solid’, the nickname for his allies.
One woman was seen with Downing Street’s former press aide, George Mason, wearing a T-shirt reading ‘sparkle with Starmer’.
At the end of the evening, the former PM left to a roar of cheers while holding a bouquet of flowers over his head, with his wife holding his hand, according to The Sun.
His loyal staff made their way to the pub’s karaoke room. One person there told The Sun: “It was a weird mix of anger and sadness.
“I think everyone was taken aback by just how big and brutal the purge was.” Another said: “It is a massacre by the Manchester Mafia. They are running No 10 now.”
This pub celebration came after Starmer delivered his final speech as PM, saying it was “the privilege of (his) life” and that he left “with good grace and with a smile”.