Keir Starmer left ‘furious’ over homophobic attack on his niece: ‘I’m really worried’
"The idea that blokes would beat a woman up for holding the hand of her wife," said Starmer
By Aaron Sugg
Prime minister Keir Starmer recalled the moment his niece and her wife were victims of a homophobic attack, leaving him worried about the state of the country.
Appearing on Pete Wicks‘s podcast Man Made, Starmer recalled the incident, in which his queer relative was “beat [up]” for holding hands with her female partner.
He said: “I was furious. Really, really angry. The idea that blokes would beat a woman up for holding the hand of her wife.”
“I worry that we’re becoming a country of toxic division” – Keir Starmer recalling his niece’s homophobic attack
He added that this incident has ignited fear in him about the toxic division in the UK. “This goes to something I’m really worried about in this country, which is, above all else, a political question: I worry that we’re becoming a country of toxic division.”
Prime minister since 2024, Starmer said: “We have to reach into that space to ask, what are we about as a country? What does it mean to be British?”
Despite his fear for the well-being of his niece, since his election Starmer welcomed the worrying April Supreme Court judgment ruling that women should be identified by their “biological sex”, creating a grey area for trans identities.
“The toxic division that is being perpetrated” – Starmer on the uncertain future of the UK
Additionally, under Starmer’s 2024 election platform, the Labour Party promised to commit to a full, trans‑inclusive ban on conversion therapy, though the bill has yet to be drafted – prompting advocates such as Peter Tatchell to speak out.
“There is still no ban; not even legislation in waiting. No draft bill. Nothing,” wrote the advocate in an op-ed for Attitude.
The Labour Party leader continued to outline the uncertainty of the UK people’s ideologies: “The challenge to that, I think, in 2025, is the toxic division that is being perpetrated by some now, that preys on our differences. How can we tear this apart? Then, how can we bring this together? And that has reached a level that I’m very concerned about.”
Under Starmer, the party pledged, and later ruled, that hate crimes against LGBTQ+ people are legally considered “aggravated offences”, strengthening protections under the law.
Highlighting the current biggest challenge facing young men, the prime minister said: “It would probably be the difficult search for a role model,” spotlighting misogynistic speaker Andrew Tate.
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