Wednesday briefing: Can Keir Starmer hope to keep his family out of the spotlight?

In today's newsletter: The Labour leader has kept details about his wife and children private, but that could prove difficult with a move to Downing Street

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Good morning. By this time on Friday we are likely to see the first images of Sir Keir Starmer moving into 10 Downing Street, but he's unlikely to pose for a family portrait outside the famous black door as other prime ministers traditionally do.

In stark contrast to other wannabe leaders in the UK and across the world, Starmer has gone to great lengths to keep his family life separate from his public and political one. To the extent that many members of the public are unaware how many children he has, or what his wife's name is (it's Vic, short for Victoria). Several journalists have even published articles with her age wrong - by a decade.

General election 2024 | Keir Starmer has accused the Conservatives of desperate tactics amid claims that Tory criticism of his defence of family time was insensitive and had antisemitic undertones.

India | At least 116 people, most of them women and children, have been killed in a crowd crush at a Hindu religious gathering in northern India, and more than 80 others were injured, local police have said.

UK news | Lucy Letby has been found guilty of trying to kill a two-hour-old baby girl on the hospital ward where she murdered seven other infants. The former neonatal nurse, who is serving 14 whole-life prison terms, was convicted on Tuesday of attempting to murder the extremely premature" infant after a retrial at Manchester crown court.

Ukraine | Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban, an outspoken critic of western aid to Ukraine, has held talks with president Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Kyiv, after a surprise visit by Europe's most pro-Russian leader to the Ukrainian capital. Elsewhere, a major poll of 15 European countries showed that a negotiated outcome with Russia, as opposed to an outright Ukrainian military victory, is now seen as the most likely end to the war.

Politics | A charity for visually impaired people, Devon in Sight, has accused Tory canvassers of stooping to an all-time low" by allegedly suggesting that the Liberal Democrat candidate for Torbay, Steve Darling, is not actually blind. The comments were said to have been made by a Tory doorknocker calling at the house of an unnamed elderly couple in recent days.