UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has revealed he was left “absolutely furious” after his niece and her wife were victims of a violent homophobic attack — less than a year after their wedding.
Speaking on Man Made, a podcast hosted by Pete Wicks, Starmer recalled how the couple were badly beaten by a group of men in their own hometown for simply holding hands.
“Within a year, my niece and her wife have been badly beaten up, in their own town, for holding hands by a group of blokes,” he said.
The incident came shortly after what Starmer described as a joyful moment for his family — attending their wedding, which he shared was “the first gay wedding” he had taken his children to.
“It was fantastic,” he said.
But the happiness quickly turned to horror.
“I was absolutely furious,” he continued. “She showed me the photos of her face, swollen, bruised… I thought the days of beating up people because they were gay were well behind us.”
Starmer Links Attack to Growing ‘Toxic Division’
The prime minister used the moment to highlight what he believes is a broader political issue in the UK — a rise in toxic division, and the polarisation of public discourse.
“This goes to something I’m really worried about in this country,” Starmer said.
“A political question above all else, which is — I worry that we’re becoming a country of toxic division. Or at least that’s where some people want to take us.”
Previous Criticism Over Trans Rights Stance
Starmer’s remarks about division and hate crimes arrive amid ongoing scrutiny over his position on trans rights.
In June 2025, he urged public institutions to begin enforcing the UK Supreme Court’s ruling that interpreted “sex” in the Equality Act 2010 to mean biological sex only — a verdict that effectively excludes trans people from legal protections in some single-sex spaces.
Starmer has also faced criticism from LGBTQ+ advocates for what many view as shifting positions on gender identity. He has previously stated that trans women are women and trans men are men — but more recently, reversed that stance.
A Divided Message?
Though Starmer’s anger at anti-LGBTQ+ violence is clear and deeply personal, his mixed messaging on trans rights continues to raise concerns within queer communities.
For many, the question remains: can a government truly fight hate and division while supporting policies that exclude parts of the LGBTQ+ community?
