KEIR Starmer thought about quitting as Labour leader after a by-election defeat, a biography has revealed.
Mr Starmer felt the loss of Hartlepool in 2021 as a personal rejection, the book reports.
The seat was previously held by Labour at every election since 1974 but the Tories, then Boris led by Johnson, won it with a majority of almost 7,000.
In the book by the former Labour adviser Tom Baldwin, Mr Starmer says: "I felt like I had been kicked in the guts. The result was terrible.
"I had a moment where I thought, We are not going to be able to do this." The book even says Mr Starmer told his top advisers he was going to resign.
This story is from the February 19, 2024 edition of Daily Mirror UK.
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This story is from the February 19, 2024 edition of Daily Mirror UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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