London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, May 30, 2026

Keir Starmer to self-isolate after one of his children tests positive for Covid

Keir Starmer to self-isolate after one of his children tests positive for Covid

One of Labour leader’s children tested positive on Wednesday lunchtime, spokesperson says
Keir Starmer will self-isolate after one of his children tested positive for Covid, hours after the Labour leader appeared in the House of Commons for prime minister’s questions.

The Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle is understood to be concerned about the growing number of people being forced into isolation, and told colleagues he hopes that the final day parliament sits on Thursday will be as quiet as possible, with MPs attending remotely.

Starmer, who has spent the day in Westminster, where restrictions have been significantly eased, tested negative on Wednesday morning, a Labour spokesperson said.

A spokesperson for Starmer said: “One of Keir’s children tested positive for Covid this lunchtime. In line with the rules, Keir and his family will now be self-isolating.

“Keir was already doing daily tests and tested negative this morning. He will continue to take daily tests.”

Starmer is the latest high-profile politician to self-isolate in the week all restrictions on social contact were lifted in England.

Boris Johnson conducted PMQs by video link because he was self-isolating in his country residence, Chequers.

Johnson and the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, were forced into self-isolation after the health secretary, Sajid Javid, tested positive for Covid just weeks into the job.

It will be the fourth time Starmer has been forced to self-isolate due to a close contact with Covid – and will disrupt plans by the Labour leader to tour the country this summer as he looks to capitalise on the party’s recent byelection win in Batley and Spen.

Starmer was due to launch a “safer communities” campaign on tackling crime and antisocial behaviour on Thursday in the West Midlands.

PMQs had been set to return to normal this week with a full chamber of MPs, none of whom were required to wear masks, but plans were disrupted by the prime minister’s isolation and Hoyle calling on MPs to exercise restraint.

More MPs were in the chamber than when social distancing rules had been imposed, with a number of MPs not wearing face coverings, including the leader of the House of Commons, Jacob Rees-Mogg, and the chief whip, Mark Spencer.

Hoyle had previously urged MPs to be cautious for the last remaining days before summer recess, citing outbreaks in Westminster.

“I really want us to behave safely, responsibly, during these few days. None of us wants to risk taking Covid back to our families, staff or constituents and I’m sure we will want everyone working on the estate to feel safe and secure.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Japanese Technology Firm Fujitsu Launches Advanced Artificial Intelligence Tool for Corporate Disclosures
South Africa Officially Launches Nationwide Campaign for Highly Contested Local Government Elections
United Kingdom Commits Additional Funding for Unexploded Ordnance Clearance in Laos
Singapore Announces Stringent New Greenhouse Gas Regulations for Commercial Cooling Systems
Cambodia and Thailand Hold High-Level Border Security Talks at United Nations Headquarters
Myanmar Military Government and China Sign Major Agreement to Upgrade Media and Cultural Cooperation
Knife Attack at Swiss Train Station Leaves Three Injured in Suspected Act of Domestic Terrorism
Transnational Extortion Gang Threatens Canadian Police With Army of One Thousand Armed Operatives
Australia Imposes Forty-Two-Day Quarantine on Cruise Ship Passengers Following Deadly Hantavirus Outbreak
International Monetary Fund Unlocks Seven Hundred Million United States Dollars for Sri Lanka Following Economic Reforms
Australia Launches Record One Point Four Billion Dollar Lawsuit Against Chemical Giant 3M Over Contamination
China and Canada Foreign Ministers Meet in Ottawa in Effort to Stabilize Strained Diplomatic Ties
Indonesia Demands Urgent United Nations Security Council Reform Amid Escalating Global Conflicts
Extreme Weather Patterns Trigger Severe Drought in Madagascar and Destructive Flooding in East Africa
Indian State of Karnataka Faces Political Upheaval as Chief Minister Siddaramaiah Abruptly Resigns
Philippines and Japan Reaffirm Defense Ties as Crucial for Indo-Pacific Regional Stability
Norway Joins French Nuclear Deterrence Initiative in Major Shift for European Security Architecture
Global Critical Mineral Alliances Expand as Western Nations Move to Counter Chinese Supply Dominance
United States Imposes Fifty Percent Tariffs on Mexican Steel and Aluminum Ahead of Trade Pact Review
European Union and China Head Toward Major Trade Conflict Over Clean Technology Exports
United States Economic Growth Severely Downgraded to One Point Six Percent as Stagflation Fears Mount
World Health Organization Warns Central African Ebola Epidemic is Outpacing Containment Efforts
United States Treasury Department Conditions Sanctions Relief on Reopening of the Strait of Hormuz
Iranian Air Defenses Intercept and Destroy United States Military Drone Over Bushehr Province
Iranian Armed Forces Launch Ballistic Missiles Toward Unspecified Targets Prompting Regional Condemnation
United Nations Secretary-General Warns Global Order Facing Highest Level of Conflict Since 1945
Israel Issues Sweeping Evacuation Orders in Southern Lebanon Amid Intensified Hezbollah Conflict
Russia Announces Systemic Military Strikes Targeting Ukrainian Defense and Energy Infrastructure
United States and Iranian Negotiators Reach Draft Agreement to Extend Ceasefire and Resume Nuclear Talks
United Nations Security Council Deeply Divided Over United States Capture of Venezuelan President
US and Iran Exchange Direct Military Strikes Amid Fragile Gulf Ceasefire
World Health Organization Warns of Catastrophic Ebola Outbreak in DR Congo
Russia Threatens New Wave of Strikes on Ukrainian Infrastructure and Embassies
Scientists Warn Atlantic Ocean Currents Could Collapse Faster Than Projected
Anthropic Reaches $900 Billion Valuation in Historic AI Funding Round
Washington Imposes Crippling Sanctions on Iranian Maritime Authority
Japan and the Philippines Initiate Strategic Intelligence-Sharing Pact
Microsoft Deploys Autonomous Computer-Using AI Agents to Global Markets
Anthropic Secures $45 Billion Compute Infrastructure Agreement With SpaceX
U.S. Director of National Intelligence Resigns Amid Administration Shakeup
Micron Technology Crosses Trillion-Dollar Valuation Amid Unprecedented Hardware Demand
Canada and Germany Finalize Historic Long-Term LNG Export Agreement
China Expands International Travel Restrictions on Domestic AI Researchers
Japan Approves Sweeping Overhaul of National Intelligence Apparatus
Global Airlines Scramble Logistics as Middle East Airspace Remains Fractured
Japan's Naphtha Imports Plunge 47 Percent Amid Strait of Hormuz Closure
Global Crude Prices Retreat Below $96 as Gulf Tensions Momentarily Ease
Generative AI Outperforms Human Baselines in Landmark Global Creativity Study
NASA Partners With Private Aerospace to Unveil Permanent Lunar Base Architecture
South Korean Equity Markets Surge on Next-Generation Memory Chip Frenzy
×