Anecdote about seven-year-old Glasgow girl at food bank shows off Kier Starmer’s rarely-seen human side

Keir Starmer will want to show off more of his human side if he is to convince voters.

Sir Keir Starmer is not renowned for his warm personality – instead oozing with a strictly business and serious demeanour. But if he is to form a Labour government, he may need to show off more of his human side.

Rishi Sunak topped off a pretty difficult start to his election campaign with a visit to Belfast’s Titanic quarter on Friday, facing questions about him captaining a “sinking ship”. Meanwhile John Swinney was ridiculed after his plane couldn’t land in Shetland, as the FM was told his “campaign has been grounded”.

This election could be as much about personalities of the leaders as the polices they will be promising. Sir Keir isn’t used to opening up regularly, but all that could change.

Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer and the leader of Scottish Labour, Anas Sarwar, at the Baltic Street food hub in Glasgow in 2022. Picture: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

Previously, the Labour leader has spoken about his late mother, an NHS nurse – while being interrupted by protesters during Labour conference.

In Glasgow on Friday, the leader of the opposition pointed to an interaction with a seven-year-old girl in Glasgow, telling activists that “her words will stay with me forever”.

In January 2022, Anas Sarwar and Sir Keir visited the Baltic Street Adventure Playground and food hub in Glasgow.

Keir Starmer, with Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, as the party launches its Scottish election campaign in Glasgow (Picture: Andrew Milligan/PA)

Sir Keir said the encounter with the youngster was “etched on my head”, adding: “I thought about it all the way home.”

The Labour leader said she had a “hell of personality” and was “really sparkly”. The seven-year-old clearly made an impression on Sir Keir, he said.

Sir Keir said he “could see her out of the corner of my eye watching me” while he read a piece off his autocue.

He added: “I said to her ‘why don’t you have a go?’. Her words will stay with me forever. She said ‘I don’t read, me’.

“I got the train back to London and I thought about those words all the way home. I thought about her, I thought about her future.”

Sir Keir will need to humanise himself if he is to win over Scottish voters. More humility and real-life stories that illustrate who will benefit form the change he is promising may only help his cause.