Keir Starmer would take the top job from Rishi Sunak, Britain's fifth consecutive Conservative prime minister.
Starmer was 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 — or British 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 was knighted in 2014 for his services to criminal justice and was elected to Parliament the following year, serving as immigration minister and Brexit minister for the opposition. But he also positioned himself as staunchly pro-business, continuing his years-long charm offensive on traditionally right-leaning voters with plans for"wealth creation" and a National Wealth Fund.