Sir Keir Starmer’s children will move into Downing Street with him if he wins the election but are “worried” about the prospect, the Labour leader has said.
Appearing on ITV’s This Morning, Sir Keir said he and his wife Victoria would “fiercely protect” their teenage children’s privacy, but admitted he and they were still worried about the impact of a possible move to Number 10.
He said: “They are worried, if I’m honest. They are worried about it, because, I think any parent would understand this, if you are a teenage child you don’t want things to change.
“You’ve got things set up at home exactly as you want them, you’ve got your friends, you’ve got your routines and you’re got your first little bits of independence, what you do after school.
“It may not be a big thing but it’s the first (time), you can do what you want with your friends after school for a limited amount of time, whatever it may be. All of that, I can see deep down they are worried this could change.”
Sir Keir and Lady Victoria have tried to shield his 13-year-old daughter and 15-year-old son from the public eye, keeping them out of photographs and never naming them in public in an effort to make their lives as normal as possible.
As parents, he said, their “guiding star” for their children had been ensuring they were “happy and confident”, adding: “As long as they are happy, as long as they are confident, then I’m smiling and that guides us in the decisions we make for them.
“But I wouldn’t be being straight for them if I didn’t say I’m worried about the impact and, inside, I think they are.”
Sir Keir confirmed that the family would all live together in Downing Street if he became prime minister, and added that his children would probably “ramp up their campaign” for a family dog to make up for the changes to their lives.