Starmer pays tribute to nurse who cared for his brother who died of cancer in emotional St George’s Day speech

Sir Keir Starmer marked St George’s Day by arguing that “service, generosity and respect” are core British values ​​the nation should embrace.

The Prime Minister also warned against “voices from both within and without” seeking to sow division within the country, as he hosted a Downing Street reception for members of the public and celebrities to honor Britain’s patron saint.

During the No 10 meeting, Sir Keir singled out three people he believed embodied these core English principles. Among them was window cleaner Isaac Davidson, who helped remove racist graffiti from a Chinese restaurant in York last year.

He also recognized George Sutherland, a dedicated volunteer at the Telford food bank, whom he had previously praised in his speech to the Labor Party conference in 2025.

The Prime Minister also paid tribute to Ben Huntley, the nurse who cared for his brother Nick Starmer before he died of cancer on Boxing Day 2024.

“Unfortunately my brother passed away the day after 2024 and hit me like a bus,” Sir Keir told the reception, his voice trembling.

The Prime Minister added: “But because of the way he was treated by Ben and the whole team, my brother always felt cared for and respected, thanks to Ben, and that was really important for a vulnerable man with stage four cancer who was going through a really tough time.

“I will never forget what you did for me and my family.”

Sir Keir added: “These are three different stories, all in different parts of England, but they are linked by the same values ​​of service, generosity and respect.

“They are examples of people stepping up in communities where, frankly, in many cases it is easier to step back, but they are stepping up.

“These are extraordinary stories and yet they are familiar in this country because you will find them in every community in England.”

The Prime Minister continued: “When times get tough, we pull each other, we pull each other up.

“It’s really important that we do that, because we can’t gloss over the fact that there are voices, both internally and externally, that are trying to divide us, that want to divide us from each other, that want to argue that what we’re really doing in this country is separating people from each other, finding their points of difference, having a kind of toxic culture of hate between different individuals, different groups, different communities.”

He called the attacks on synagogues and mosques “acts of violence designed to send the message to the Jewish and Muslim communities in this country that they are not safe.”

The Prime Minister added: “We completely reject division and we will fly our flag proudly. It is our flag. It is ours and we will fly it for the values ​​we believe in and those are the values ​​of the people I have named in this room tonight.”

Monday night’s reception came after Sir Keir spent hours answering MPs’ questions about the latest revelations about the appointment of Lord Peter Mandelson as US ambassador.

Sir Keir was introduced at the reception by multi-Olympic medal-winning cyclists Dame Laura Kenny and Sir Jason Kenny, who told how they first met the Prime Minister at the Pride of Britain awards a few years ago.

Commons newcomer Sir Keir joked: “It was great to meet you at the Pride of Britain Awards and talk about everything but politics. I love evenings like this.”

Celebrities present at the reception included former England and Arsenal goalkeeper David Seaman; Former England footballer, sports journalist and Strictly Come Dancing winner Karen Carney; and actor and comedian Joe Thomas, who rose to fame on the sitcom The Inbetweeners.