Labour leader Keir Starmer is a former human rights lawyer turned-state prosecutor whose ruthless ambition and formidable work ethic look set to propel him to Britain's highest political office.

The 61-year-old, named after Labour's founding father Keir Hardie, is the centre-left opposition party's most working-class leader in decades.

"My dad was a toolmaker, my mum was a nurse," Starmer tells voters often, countering depictions by opponents that he is the epitome of a smug, liberal, London elite.

With his grey quiff and black-rimmed glasses, Starmer remains an enigma in the eyes of many voters, who are predicted to propel him to Downing Street after Thursday's general election.

Detractors label him an uninspiring opportunist, but supporters insist he is a managerial pragmatist who will approach being prime minister the same way he did his legal career: tirelessly and forensically.

"Politics has to be about service," Starmer said in a recent campaign speech, repeating his mantra to put "country first, party second" following 14 years of Conservative rule under five different prime ministers.

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