Sir Keir Starmer has acknowledged the challenges faced by young men “growing up in this day and age,” in an open letter addressed to his son on International Men’s Day.
The Labour leader encouraged men to engage in open dialogue regarding their mental health, reflecting on his own relationship with his father, with whom he admitted he “never really spoke.”
Starmer’s remarks coincide with the government’s launch of England’s inaugural men’s health strategy, which seeks to address issues predominantly affecting men, including suicide, alcohol abuse, and problem gambling.
In the letter to his 17-year-old son, whose name has not been publicly disclosed, Sir Keir stated that there are “pressures on young men that are difficult to talk about.”
Sir Keir also discussed how his experience of not having had “a very close relationship with my own dad” shaped his relationship with his own children.
The Labour leader has often highlighted his background, frequently mentioning in speeches that his father was a toolmaker and his mother a nurse who suffered from Still’s disease, a debilitating form of arthritis.
In his letter, Starmer wrote that he and his father “never really spoke” and “never really got to know each other.”
He further shared that spending time with his son is “one of the highlights of my week.”
“You’ve grown into a confident, kind, wonderful young man. And I’m so proud of you,” he wrote.
“If there’s one hope I have, it’s that we keep talking, keep learning from each other, keep helping each other.”
Sir Keir also acknowledged the strain that his position puts on his family life, noting his awareness of the “huge sacrifices” made by his wife and children since he’s been in Downing Street.
“The reason I do the job I do, and I know that means huge sacrifices for you, for your sister and your mum, is because I want the world for tomorrow’s generation to be better,” he said.
In his letter, Sir Keir wrote that watching Adolescence, the hit Netflix series about a 13-year-old arrested for stabbing a classmate, with his son had helped shaped his perspective on the problems facing young men.
The Labour leader previously invited the shows creators to a Downing Street meeting to discuss the influence of toxic material online.
Sir Keir also used his weekly Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) session to mark International Men’s Day.
He praised fellow Labour MP Luke Charters for sharing his mental health battle after nearly losing his wife in the traumatic birth of their first child, saying others would “be inspired to talk openly about their experiences”.
PMQs however was dominated by preparations for what is looking to be a bruising Budget for the prime minister.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has said the government’s Budget is unravelling before it has even been delivered, after the chancellor appeared to back away from raising income tax rates following weeks of damaging stories.
Sir Keir has also been forced to deny he authorised attacks on cabinet colleagues after a flurry of briefings to the press claimed ministers, including Health Secretary Wes Streeting, were plotting leadership bids.
As part of the new men’s health stratergy, the government has promised £3.6m over the next three years to suicide prevention projects for middle-aged men in local communities where they are most at risk of taking their own lives.
Suicide is one of the biggest killers of men under 50 and three-quarters of all suicides are in men.
A three-year partnership with the Premier League will also embed mental health messaging into football matches and fan spaces.
The Department of Health said men are less likely to seek help and more likely to smoke, drink, gamble and use drugs than women.
Under the plans, a new levy will be charged on betting companies – while the government will trial ways to reduce cocaine and alcohol-related deaths, including workplace pilots to bring health checks into male-dominated industries.
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