No more Mr nice guy? A leadership trait analysis of UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer

While we know the personality traits of leaders matter in politics, political analysis often struggles to capture such traits beyond qualitative and ad hoc evaluations of character, often resulting in disjuncture between assessment and behaviour. This is evident in the contrast between UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s reputation as a risk-averse and detail-oriented technocrat and the record of his first year, which suggests a tougher, more decisive and more uncompromising persona. This article explains this discrepancy by presenting a comprehensive Leadership Trait Analysis of Starmer, using automated content analysis of spontaneous speech during his premiership. Our findings show Starmer exhibits higher than average positions on his belief in his ability to control events, distrust towards others, need for power, and self-confidence, a profile associated with leaders who challenge constraints, eschew compromise, and personalise decision-making.