Sir Keir Starmer reveals he’s been in touch with ex-England boss about issues raised in Netflix drama

Published

7 months ago

March 24, 2025

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Sir Keir Starmer has rejected the idea of creating a minister for men to combat some of the issues raised in the hit Netflix drama Adolescence.

Sir Keir said he was “worried” about the “crisis in masculinity” raised in the programme, which centres on a 13-year-old boy arrested for the murder of a young girl and the rise of incel culture.

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The themes touched upon in the show have led to suggestions that the government introduce a minister for men to mirror the women and equalities minister that currently exists in the cabinet.

But speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, the prime minister said he did not think appointing a new minister was “the answer” to the problems affecting young boys today, including negative and harmful social media content and a lack of visible role models.

“I am worried about this; I’ve got a 16-year-old boy and a 14-year-old girl,” he said.

“There’s a reason why the debate has suddenly sparked into life on this and that’s because I think a lot of parents, a lot of people who work with young people at school or elsewhere, recognise that we may have a problem with boys and young men that we need to address.”

Sir Keir said he was more persuaded by arguments put forward by former England manger Gareth Southgate, who argued in a recent lecture that young men lacked positive role models, making them vulnerable to online influencers who promoted negative ideologies about the world and women.

“I’ve been in touch with Gareth,” the prime minister said. “I know Gareth. I thought his lecture, what he was saying, was really powerful, will have resonated with a lot of parents.

“And I do think this is something that we have to take seriously, we have to address. We can’t shrug our shoulders at it.”

Asked whether a minister for men would help, Sir Keir said: “No, I don’t think that’s the answer.

“I think it is time for listening carefully to what Gareth Southgate was saying and responding to it.

“I want to have that further discussion with him. We’ve already had a bit of a discussion about this, but I do think it’s important we pick this challenge up and see it for what it is.”

Adolescence: A hard watch – but a must-see

By Anjum Peerbacos, education reporter

As a former English teacher, I was interested to see how the show depicted schools and teachers – and their interaction with the central character.

Some elements struck me as truthful, others not so much.

“Shut up,” we hear one child yell at the teacher, Mrs Fenumore, as she’s taking the detectives to meet Jamie’s class. It made me wince, despite knowing that this does happen in schools.

In this depiction of schools, poor language was prevalent and not challenged appropriately by the adults in the situation.

As is the case in every profession, in classrooms there are good and bad teachers.

But in some cases I found the lack of knowledge and extent of ignorance from Mrs Fenumore hard to believe – and on a personal level hard to watch. How could she not know about the incel movement? It was her job to know.

For example, I remember devising lessons and assemblies specifically looking into the incel movement, which were even more pertinent when the case of murdered 33-year-old Sarah Everard was in the news.

Adolescence is a must-watch, but it is also a hard-watch for anyone that has a young person in their life.

Delivering the BBC’s annual Richard Dimbleby Lecture, Mr Southgate revealed how his experience of missing a penalty at Euro 96 “still haunts me today”.

And he warned that “callous” influencers online were tricking young men into thinking women and the world were against them, causing them to “withdraw” into the online world and express their emotions there rather than in “real-world communities.

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He said a “void” in their search for direction is often now being filled by some influencers who “willingly trick young men into believing that success is measured by money or dominance”.

In his interview with the BBC, Sir Keir suggested footballers and athletes could be role models for boys and young men but said there was also a need for inspirational people in communities.

Asked who the British male role models were, Sir Keir told BBC Radio 5 Live: “I always go to sport for this. Footballers, athletes, I think they are role models.

“But I also think if you actually ask a young person, they’re more likely to identify somebody who’s in their school, a teacher, or somebody who maybe is a sports coach, something like that.

“So we need to make sure that – this is something that dads do, dad would reach for a sort of sporting hero – I think children, young people, are more likely to reach someone closer to them, within their school, within their community.

“And that’s, I think, where we need to do some of the work.”

The UK has never had a minister for men but previous Conservative MPs, including former Doncaster MP Nick Fletcher, have called for one in the past to tackle high rates of suicide among men.

The position of minister for women was created by former Labour prime minister Tony Blair as a means of prioritising women’s issues across government.

Politics

PM backs call for MP investigation into Prince Andrew’s housing arrangement

Published

2 hours ago

October 22, 2025

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PM backs call for MP investigation into Prince Andrew's housing arrangement

Sir Keir Starmer has backed a call for a Commons investigation into Prince Andrew’s housing arrangement.

The King’s brother is still living in the Royal Lodge, a 30-room Windsor mansion owned by the Crown Estate, despite relinquishing his Duke of York title last week.

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It has emerged he only pays a “peppercorn rent” on the property – a legal term used in leases to show that rent technically exists, so the lease is valid, but it’s nominal – often £1 a year or even nothing at all.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has called for a select committee inquiry into the Crown Estate, in which Prince Andrew would be called to give evidence.

Speaking in Prime Minister’s Questions, Sir Ed said: “Given the revelations about Royal Lodge, does the prime minister agree that this House needs to properly scrutinise the Crown Estate to ensure taxpayers’ interests are protected.

“The chancellor herself has said that the current arrangements are wrong.

“So will the prime minister support a select committee inquiry, so all those involved can be called for evidence, including the current occupant?”

Responding, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: “It’s important in relation to all Crown properties that there is proper scrutiny, and I certainly support that.”

A document from the Crown Estate, which oversees the Royal Family’s land and property holdings, shows Andrew signed a 75-year lease on the Royal Lodge in 2003.

It reveals he paid £1m for the lease and that since then he has paid “one peppercorn” of rent “if demanded” per year.

Andrew was also required to pay a further £7.5m for refurbishments completed in 2005, according to a report by the National Audit Office.

The agreement also contains a clause that states the Crown Estate would have to pay Andrew around £558,000 if he gave up the lease.

The royal is under pressure to do just that amid continued scrutiny over his relationship with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.

There has also been fresh focus on his sex accuser Virginia Giuffre’s allegations, which Andrew denies, after the publication of her posthumous memoirs.

Senior Tory Robert Jenrick said it was “about time Prince Andrew took himself off to live in private” as “the public are sick of him”.

Asked about his living arrangement on Tuesday, Chancellor Rachel Reeves told the BBC: “I do think people should pay their way and pay their fair share.”

Politics

‘Man deported under ‘one in, one out’ scheme returns to UK in small boat

Published

2 hours ago

October 22, 2025

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'Man deported under 'one in, one out' scheme returns to UK in small boat

A migrant who was deported back to France under the government’s flagship “one in, one out” scheme has returned to the UK on a small boat.

The Iranian national was initially detained when he entered the UK on a small boat on 6 August. He was removed under the government’s deal with France on 19 September, and he returned on 18 October.

He has been detained once again, and Sky News understands that the government is set to expedite his removal back to France.

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The news comes as Sky News learns that more migrants have crossed the Channel on a small boat in 2025 so far than the entirety of 2024.

The “one in, one out” treaty with France allows the UK to return anyone who arrives in the UK on a small boat back to France, in exchange for France sending to the UK the same number of people who have never previously tried to enter illegally.

The man told The Guardian newspaper that he had been a victim of modern slavery at the hands of people smugglers in northern France.

“If I had felt that France was safe for me I would never have returned to the UK,” he claimed.

“When we were returned to France we were taken to a shelter in Paris. I didn’t dare to go out because I was afraid for my life. The smugglers are very dangerous. They always carry weapons and knives. I fell into the trap of a human trafficking network in the forests of France before I crossed to the UK from France the first time.

“They took me like a worthless object, forced me to work, abused me, and threatened me with a gun and told me I would be killed if I made the slightest protest. Every day and every night, I was filled with terror and stress. Every day I live in fear and anxiety, every loud noise, every shadow, every strange face scares me.

“When I reached UK the first time and Home Office asked what had happened to me I was crying and couldn’t speak about this because of shame.”

The UK government’s position is that France is a safe country.

‘Rwanda is further than France’

The aim of the agreement with France is to create a disincentive for migrants to make the dangerous crossing across the Channel. But Downing Street repeatedly refused to describe the scheme as a “deterrent” this afternoon, insisting that the scheme is among a number of measures the government is taking to stop small boat crossings.

A Home Office spokesperson said in a statement: “We will not accept any abuse of our borders, and we will do everything in our power to remove those without the legal right to be here.

“Individuals who are returned under the pilot and subsequently attempt to re-enter the UK illegally will be removed.”

Former Tory home secretary James Cleverly quipped on social media that “Rwanda is a lot further away than France”, arguing that had their embattled scheme got off the ground, it would have been harder for migrants to make the return journey.

The prime minister is hosting Western Balkans leaders on Wednesday as the government tries to crack down on people smuggling and illegal migration.

But despite various government efforts, Sky News understands that more migrants have crossed the English Channel in small boats so far this year than in the whole of 2024, Sky News understands

While the exact number of people who have made the crossing today is not set to be published until tomorrow, Home Office sources have confirmed that more than 36,816 people – the total for 2024 – have now crossed the Channel so far in 2025.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said in a statement: “The previous government left our borders in crisis, and we are still living with the consequences. These figures are shameful – the British people deserve better.

“This government is taking action. We have detained and removed more than 35,000 who were here illegally. Our historic deal with the French means those who arrive on small boats are now being sent back.

“But it is clear we must go further and faster – removing more of those here illegally, and stopping migrants from making small boat crossings in the first place.

“And I have been clear: I will do whatever it takes to restore order to our border.”