What we know about Keir Starmer’s brother Nick
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Keir Starmer has announced that his brother, Nick, died yesterday after battling cancer. He was 60 years old. “My brother Nick was a wonderful man,” Starmer said in a statement. “He met all the challenges life threw at him with courage and good humour.
“We will miss him very much. “I would like to thank all those who treated and took care of Nick. Their skill and compassion is very much appreciated.”. Though Starmer is very private when it comes to his family – in particular his siblings Nick, Anna and Katy – he did reveal more about them in interviews with Tom Baldwin, who ultimately wrote his biography, Keir Starmer: The Biography.
The Starmers grew up in Oxted, Surrey: Anna was the oldest, then Keir, then Katy and Nick, who were twins. However, Nick suffered from complications at birth, which left him with learning difficulties. “We were a family of six, so it didn’t feel lonely and I shared a room with him, but Nick didn’t have many friends and got called ‘thick’ or ‘stupid’ by other kids,” he said. “Even now I try to avoid using words like that to describe anyone”.
So did the rest of the family: his sister Katy described how they would both get into fights to protect their brother, with Katy telling Baldwin that she “certainly punched a few people.”. When he was born, Nick was labelled “remedial” by his school and his family were told he’d never be able to read – though he defied those expectations. Keir and Nick shared a bedroom “with an airing cupboard and just enough space for a couple of small desks where we’d do our homework,” he said.
