Sir Keir Starmer QC was elected as leader of the Labour Party in early April. He has a long history with Legal Action Group, authoring its best-selling book (of all time!), presenting two LAG annual lectures and appearing as Legal Action’s cover star not once, but twice.

European Human Rights Law, published in 1999, was a comprehensive guide to the Human Rights Act and Strasbourg case law. It sold over 13,000 copies and was recently described by Starmer as a ‘game changer’. Twitter reaction to his election included this from Matthew Stockwell, barrister and past president of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers: ‘@Keir_Starmer’s @LegalActionGrp publication was one of the first & best books I bought as a baby barrister. The principles he helped bring to a wider audience will underpin everything he does, not be an object of ridicule.’

Starmer has also given two LAG annual lectures over the years, the first in 2006, on human rights in an era of international terrorism, and the second in 2013, when he made a robust defence of human rights legislation and its role in protecting victims. He appeared on the cover of Legal Action in February 2007 and February 2014.