Lady Starmer's tears as Sir Keir quits: PM wife hugs him outside No10

Sir Keir Starmer's wife Victoria cried outside 10 Downing Street today after she watched her equally teary husband announce he was resigning as Prime Minister.

Lady Starmer held hands with Sir Keir as they walked out of the front door together before she moved to the side to stand with his ministerial allies and staff.

But Sir Keir became emotional and his voice wavered towards the end of his speech at 9.30am as he thanked his 'fantastic' wife for being a 'rock by my side'.

He then left the lectern to be greeted by Victoria, who gave him a big hug. They then held hands and stood on the steps for photographers before going back inside.

Sir Keir said: 'When I leave the biggest job in the country, I shall spend more time on the most important job, being the best husband I can to my fantastic wife Vic who has been a rock by my side through good times and bad, and being the best dad I can to my beautiful children, who are my pride and joy.'

'Lady Vic', as she is known fondly in party circles, has continued to work as an NHS occupational therapist during his premiership. 

Sir Keir previously admitted his wife is so 'sassy' that the first thing she said after speaking with him for the first time was: 'Who the f*** does he think he is?'

Victoria Starmer dabs her eye during emotional scenes outside Downing Street 

The couple shared a hug after Sir Keir's tribute to his family  

Lady Starmer held hands with Sir Keir as they walked out of the front door together before she moved to the side to stand with ministerial allies and staff

A young Mr Starmer, then a barrister, had made the fatal error of incorrectly questioning his future wife's work as a solicitor - and found himself on the end of her sharp tongue.

But he asked her out for a drink anyway, and the rest is history. 

While Victoria has kept a relatively low profile during Sir Keir's ill-fated time as Prime Minister, she has been credited with exercising influence behind the scenes. 

One senior ministerial source recently told the Daily Mail's Andrew Pierce: 'As you would imagine, there's no one more loyal to Keir than Vic, who's passionate that Keir fights on.

'He listens to her. They are incredibly close: Keir calls her 'his rock'. They talk all the time about the job. If she says it's time to go, I'm sure he will.

'But I'm telling you, she's adamant he must keep going.'

Unlike former prime minister Rishi Sunak's wife Akshata Murty - a multi-millionaire heiress to IT firm Infosys's $70billion (£53bn) fortune - not a great deal is known of Victoria.

Sir Keir himself has said that she 'has her own life and protects it vigorously'. 

Victoria's father was an economics lecturer who moved to the UK from Poland before the Second World War. Her father is Jewish and her mother, who died in 2020, was a community doctor who converted to the faith.

The Starmers standing together on the steps of Downing Street. Sir Keir has described Victoria as his 'rock' 

Victoria places her hand on her husband's arm as they walk back into No10 

Far from the working-class background her husband likes to talk about, she went to the exclusive private Channing School in Highgate - one of London's most exclusive areas.

She secured degrees in law and sociology from Cardiff University, where she was president of the student union from 1995 to 1996.

Around four years later, Britain's First Couple met - but had an almighty row when they met that ended with a shower of expletives from Lady Starmer, who then told him to get lost. 

She slammed down the phone after yelling: 'Who the f*** does he think he is?' 

Keir heard it all, but by 2007 they were married. 

What sparked the cascade of swears? Her future husband asking if she was '100 per cent sure' her work was correct. 

Sir Keir later told Vogue: 'It was absolutely classic Vic. Very sassy, very down to earth, no nonsense from anyone, including from me'. 

Undeterred, he asked her down the pub to make up for his blunder. She gave him a second chance and fast forward to today they have been married for nearly two decades. 

They now share a £1.75million Kentish Town home with their two children - a teenager named Toby and a younger daughter whose name has not been made public.

'Vic', as Sir Keir calls her, greeting him after Labour's July 2024 election win  

Victoria is Jewish and Sir Keir has said he tries to uphold the Shabbat tradition of Friday night dinners as often as possible - despite being an atheist himself.

He previously told the Mirror: 'She's a streetwise, grounded, brilliant, gorgeous woman who wants as far as she can to get on with her own life and to protect it.

'She loves working for the NHS. She loves the team that she's working with.

'And she and I are doing our best to raise two happy and confident children and that matters hugely to us.'

Outside of her NHS work, she has also served as a governor at her children's school in Camden. 

Sir Keir and Lady Starmer returned to Downing Street from Chequers early this morning after spending the weekend locked in talks.