EXCLUSIVE: From taxpayer-funded support to speaking fees and strict post-office rules, experts explain what life after Downing Street could look like for former PM Keir Starmer
Sir Keir Starmer may have joked about swapping Downing Street for strimming hedges, but the decisions facing Britain’s newest former prime minister are far more consequential than what he’ll do in the garden.
All former PMs receive public financial support in the form of a Public Duty Cost Allowance (PDCA). Brought in after Margaret Thatcher quit, it allows former leaders to claim up to £115,000 a year for life to cover “necessary office costs and secretarial costs arising from their special position in public life,” according to the Institute for Government.
Ministers are also entitled to a severance payment of 25 percent of their annual salary, which is thought to have been in the region of £170,000.
But that’s not where the big money lies. Unlike most people leaving a job, former prime ministers can look forward to a lucrative future, commanding huge sums in speaking fees, book deals and land advisory roles with businesses and international organisations.
It’s a well-trodden path, with the likes of Tony Blair and Boris Johnson cashing in. Since leaving office, Blair has established a global institute advising governments and businesses around the world, growing his net worth to a staggering £60million.
Johnson had amassed almost £5million by 2023 by focusing on worldwide speaking engagements, newspaper columns and publishing.
But experts say former human rights lawyer Starmer is unlikely to follow in their footsteps. Sonia Purnell, author of Boris Johnson’s biography Just Boris, tells the Mirror: “One of the questions is, do you just want to make money or do you want to serve your country in some way?
“Keir Starmer will have great contacts and he’ll know people at a senior level all over the world. It would be crazy to throw that all away. Boris Johnson has gone on to make as much money as possible. Keir has to make that choice. From what we know of his character, I sense he would love to go on serving his country in some way.”
PR expert Mark Borkowski believes Starmer has the potential to build a multi-million-pound career after politics – even if it looks very different to those of Blair or Boris.
“Over the next decade, it’s plausible he could earn between £2 million and £10 million,” he said. Borkowski believes Starmer’s greatest commercial value lies not in celebrity-style appearances, but in the expertise he developed before and during his time in office.
“He was quite a major force on the international stage,” he said. “As an adviser, as someone working in foreign affairs, there’s certainly something there.”
While he believes lucrative opportunities will arise, Borkowski is less convinced Starmer will embrace the global speaking circuit in the same way as some of his predecessors.
“Speaking engagements can range from £50,000 internationally, but it’s difficult at this stage,” he said. “Boris is a different character. He worked through tumultuous times in terms of Brexit and Covid. Starmer doesn’t have as much to say.”
Former prime ministers have taken vastly different routes after leaving office. Labour’s Gordon Brown has devoted much of his post-premiership to charity and international development, while Tory John Major has maintained a relatively low public profile alongside a handful of senior appointments.
However, Starmer’s hands will be tied to a degree. During the first two years after leaving office, former prime ministers must seek advice under the Government’s Business Appointment Rules before accepting certain roles. Applications are now considered by the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards, who assesses whether a proposed role could create a conflict of interest or appear to be a reward for decisions taken while in government.
Starmer also faces a decision over whether to remain an MP. If he resigns from Parliament altogether, he would forgo his MP’s salary, currently set at £98,599. Purnell says: “It’s difficult for a prime minister to be on a backbench. If they step down immediately, you lose all of that experience and is that a sensible thing to do? Arguably not. He has to make a decision.
“I met him a couple of times before he became Prime Minister. He struck me as quite earnest, quite keen to do something. I can’t see he would go into the sunset, earn millions and leave the rest of us behind.”
Addressing talk that Starmer could take up the NATO Secretary General role, Tolga Inanc, former Foreign Office and Treasury official, tells the Mirror it’s more likely that the former PM will take a break. “I think we’ll see him withdraw from public life for the time being,” he said. “He will want to ensure the new government has the space to operate with a fresh start.
“Any public involvement or political intervention from Starmer will likely take place some years later, much like Sir John Major, who took time away from the public eye before playing a more prominent role during the Brexit referendum.”
Purnell adds that when it comes to Starmer’s earning potential, he might not carry the same clout as he predecessors. “Tony Blair got a huge advance on his book, but I don’t think that will be on offer to Starmer,” she said. “The publishing industry has changed and he doesn’t have the same pulling power as Blair.”
Inanc also believes Starmer is unlikely to emulate Boris Johnson or Liz Truss by remaining at the forefront of political debate.
“I anticipate Starmer to adopt a very different approach out of office,” he said. “He’s not a particularly ideological person and lacks the political passion that may compel him to try and shape the debate on the latest topical issue. We’re likely to see Starmer focus on less popular yet key issues such as civic engagement and social justice.”
She added that although speaking engagements are likely, they likely won’t become his defining career. “It’s more likely he’ll do a little bit of speaking, but it’s not his true forte. It’s more likely he’ll do something behind the scenes rather than standing up behind a podium. It’s not Starmer’s style.
“The landscape has changed. Blair has had a lot of flak for that, some of the clients he’s had. I can’t see Starmer going down that route. Blair has made millions, but I just don’t see Starmer doing that. He’s such a different personality to Blair.”
Instead, she believes any future role is more likely to involve public service than commercial success.
How much Starmer ultimately earns may depend not just on what he chooses to do but on how history judges his premiership.
Purnell points to John Major, whose reputation has steadily improved over the decades since leaving office. “People talk much more affectionately about him than they did back then,” she said.
“If you look at the country dispassionately, it’s in a better place than when Starmer took over. I wonder whether Starmer will have a resurgence in people’s thoughts.
“History may be kinder to Starmer than it is right now. That might benefit him ultimately. It might enable him to do what he wants to do, and that’s about helping people.”