Why Keir Starmer’s Obsession with Service Matters
Keir Starmer’s first speech in Downing Street reveals a clear and transformative vision for his government. Widely regarded as his best speech to date, it was concise yet powerfully woven with eight distinct references to “service”. This is not a new theme for Starmer; his campaign speeches and public statements have consistently been peppered with the language of service.
Let’s delve into what Starmer means by service, why it’s significant, and how it could reflect his vision for the UK.
One Speech, Eight References to Service:
Starmer’s entire speech hinged on the idea of service and how it could be a force for renewal. As a long-time student of service, my radar went into overdrive.
- “Our country has voted, decisively for change, for national renewal, and a return of politics to public service a return of politics to public service.”
- “The gap between the sacrifices made by people and the service they receive from politicians…”
- “Public service is a privilege.”
- “But whether you voted Labour or not… In fact — especially if you did not, I say to you, directly: my government will serve you.”
- “Service is merely a pre-condition for hope.”
- “From now on you have a government unburdened by doctrine guided only by a determination to serve your interests…”
- “To restore service and respect to politics…”
- “So with respect and humility, I invite you all to join this government of service in the mission of national renewal.”
The Six Big Messages in Starmer’s Speech
Why has Starmer been invoking service, not just in this speech, but throughout his campaign? I believe it reflects six deeply held views, which, if he manages to overcome the odds, will bring about a clear break from the past, and underpin the next five years of his administration.
- Serving People, Not Ideology
Starmer’s government aims to serve the public rather than serve rigid, abstract ideologies. This pragmatic approach contrasts with the previous administration’s inward-looking focus on Brexit and “sovereignty”, which led the Conservatives into an inward spiral of factional narcissism. Instead Starmer repeatedly states that his government will serve the people, whether they voted for him or not. It puts party second and nation first. In doing so, it opens the door to more listening and more pragmatism.
“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” Mahatma Gandhi
2. Self-lessness Over Selfishness
Starmer’s emphasis on service represents a radical shift from the neoliberal ideas popularised by Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher, who famously declared: “There’s no such thing as society. There are individual men and women and there are families.” Starmer’s speech challenges the view of humans as selfish actors in a market-driven world, instead invoking our innate capacity for selflessness and cooperation. It opens the door to a kinder and more generous sort of politics.
“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” Winston Churchill
3. Valuing Public Service Again
Starmer’s speech recognizes the intrinsic value of public service roles, honouring the generosity of spirit in nurses, teachers, and other key workers who have been undervalued. Service is about helping others move forward from their current situation to a better place, not for monetary gain, but because it is inherently “a good thing”. After a period of government market by bullying, distrust and downright disrespect for public servants, this perspective revalues roles in nursing, teaching, and policing, where serving others is a vocation and central to societal well-being. It closes the door on conspiracy theories that mistook resistance to Brexit as being ideological, when for the most part it was simply a loyalty to the facts — all of which showed what we now know — that it wasn’t a good idea. Starmer refutes the idea of a “deep state” in service of its own ends, and opens the door to a renewed respect for civil servants and public servants, and a renewed dialogue with those at the frontline.
4. Cooperation Over Competition
Starmer rejects the competitive, market-driven view of society, promoting cooperation as humanity’s key adaptation for survival and progress. Rutger Bregman, in his bestselling book Humankind, traces a long history of humans having a deep inclination towards kindness and altruism. Darwin was misinterpreted. It wasn’t competition that matters. Cooperation is what made homo sapiens so successful. Only since the 1980s have we been told it’s all about competition. Starmer’s message taps into our deep desire for connection and cooperation, offering a more optimistic vision of society.
5. Compassion Over Hostility
The past 14 years of politics has been marked by a culture of hostility: May’s ‘hostile environment’, the subsequent Windrush scandal, the slandering of organisations like the RNLI, the brutal Rwanda policy. Instead Starmer is promoting compassion, a central tenet of service. This closes the door on the corrupting idea that “do-gooders” are somehow bad, and reintroduces the potential for kindness and compassion in government policies and beyond.
“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’” Martin Luther King Jr.
6. Humility Over Entitlement
Finally, I believe Starmer is announcing a new culture of humility, in direct contrast with the culture of superiority and entitlement that marked the last 14 years. Privately-educated politicians, who believed themselves “born to lead”, who acted as if they were “above the law”, swaggering with the arrogance of entitlement. Picture Rees-Mogg slouching across the front bench. Instead, Starmer’s emphasises the leader as servant.
To serve is to embody humility and selflessness. This takes the idea of the populist leader as “strongman”, dictating his will to a servile nation, and swaps it for a more positive ideal of “leader as servant”. It opens the door for a more humble and generous approach to politics.
“Leadership must first and foremost meet the needs of others.” Robert Greenleaf, Servant Leadership
So, what next?
Keir Starmer’s focus on service is more than rhetoric; I believe it signals a transformative shift in British politics. By prioritising service, Starmer offers a more hopeful vision of a society built on cooperation, compassion, and humility.
In my next post I’ll look at the challenges Starmer will have to overcome if he’s going to deliver on these promises — institutions, demand, power, belief, money. I’ve spent 25 years researching, designing, building and changing service and services. I think what he’s proposing could be profound, but it won’t be easy. Not at all.
But for those of us left exhausted and disillusioned by 14 years of dogmatic, divisive and cruel Tory party leadership, this speech marks a clear attempt to reconnect us, the public, with a new approach that has leaders working in our interests, with a sense of shared purpose, towards a new collective well-being. Few can disagree that we need more of that.
