Photo reveals school-age Keir Starmer posing in a wind quintet

Photo reveals school-age Keir Starmer posing in a wind quintet with his favourite flute as Labour leader speaks of his ‘passion’ for classical music and says it’s a ‘great release’ from politics

• Keir Starmer speaks about being on the Guildhall School of Music’s programme  

A young Sir Keir Starmer is seen posing as part of a wind quintet with his flute in a black-and-white photo from the Labour leader’s school days.

The future politician, with hair he ‘would not be sporting now’, was pictured while perfoming at a Duke of Edinburgh Awards ceremony.

Sir Keir reflected on the photo as he spoke about his time on the Guildhall School of Music’s junior programme as a teenager during an interview with Classic FM.

The Labour leader described his passion for classical music, particularly Beethoven, and hailed it as a ‘great release’ from ‘the other strains of the day’.

Sir Keir named the flute as his favourite instrument after many years of playing it as a youngster. 

A young Sir Keir Starmer is seen posing as part of a wind quintet with his flute in a black-and-white photo from the Labour leader’s school days

Sir Keir reflected on the photo as he spoke about his time on the Guildhall School of Music’s junior programme as a teenager during an interview with Classic FM

The Labour leader described his passion for classical music, particularly Beethoven, and hailed it as a ‘great release’ from ‘the other strains of the day’

The 60-year-old said the flute was ‘so profound and there’s a special role for the flute in Mozart’.

Beethoven is his ‘great passion as well’, he added.

Sir Keir told the station he listens to classical music often because ‘it just takes you away from whatever the other strains of the day are to a different place’.

He also named Beethoven’s fifth Piano Concerto as his favourite.

‘I feel passionately about music,’ he said. ‘Not just for the enjoyment of music, which is profound.

‘But also because of the skills that learning music gives to children, young people.’

In his speech to Labour’s annual conference in 2021, Sir Keir hit out at the ‘collapse’ of theatre, drama and music in state schools.

‘We want every child to get the chance to play competitive sport and play an instrument,’ he told party members.

During his childhood, Sir Keir attended Reigate Grammar School at the same time as Norman Cook, the DJ known as ‘Fatboy Slim’, and has previously spoken of how they had music lessons together.

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