Watch: Keir Starmer – ‘My First Trip Abroad Was To Malta As A Flute Player’
While addressing the Labour Party’s conference yesterday, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer shared a personal anecdote, recalling that his first ever trip abroad was to Malta, where he travelled as a flute player.
“The flute gave me so many opportunities. My first ever trip abroad was to Malta with the Croydon Youth Philharmonic Orchestra,” Starmer said to cheers from the audience.
Starmer used this personal story as an example of the power of music, books and arts to move people and allow them to get lost in something bigger than themselves.
And he went on to urge the conference not to focus solely on individual success stories.
“We elevate the stories of the individuals who go to the Guild Hall School of Music. The Prime Minister from a pebble-dashed semi. The working class few who do break through the class ceiling. I don’t blame anyone for that – I’m guilty of it. It gives people hope. It’s important to tell those stories.
“But it’s not everyone, is it? And we must remember everyone, Conference. Because everyone deserves the chance to be touched by art. Everyone deserves access to moments that light up their lives.”
“And every child deserves the chance to study the creative subjects that widen their horizons, provide skills employers do value, and prepares them for the future, the jobs and the world that they will inherit.”
Do you remember Keir Starmer playing the flute in Malta? If so, feel free to reach out to us to share your experience