A caller into LBC said that he was put off Labour leader Keir Starmer not by his politics, but by one of his lifestyle choices.
The caller, Simon, said he was “naturally a Labour voter” but was “put off” by Sir Keir for being vegetarian – rather than vegan. The opposition leader became vegetarian 25 years ago, although has admitted to since going back to eating fish.
The Brit said Sir Keir’s unwillingness to commit fully to being vegan said “something about his character” as someone who “sits on the fence.” Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is also believed to be vegetarian.
“I’m vegan,” Simon told host Iain Dale, adding: “I know the joke is that vegans always tell you that within the first two minutes, but I have to tell you that for the purpose of this conversation.”
He went on to say ” Icertainly don’t hate vegetarians. I am probably naturally a Labour voter but what puts me off Labour a little bit is the fact that Starmer is a vegetarian but not a vegan.
“It says something to me about his character, the whole sitting on the fence thing, I don’t know why he doesn’t go the whole way and become a vegan, I suppose, although I haven’t got a hatred of him, I don’t know why.”
Sir Keir’s wife Victoria doesn’t eat meat or fish, and his 15-year-old son and 12-year-old daughter were not allowed to eat meat until they turned 10. At that point, they were given the choice on what they wanted to eat.
While his daughter has still never eaten meat or fish, Mr Starmer said his son has taken “full liberty” to eat KFC and McDonald’s.
Speaking on the Table Manners podcast, the 60-year-old said: “I gave up meat probably about 25 years ago, after university, as a matter of principle and that’s why I struggle with it because I love meat.
“To start with I gave up fish as well, but then I went back to fish because I found it too much. Then I got together with Vic, my wife, she’s been proper vegetarian since she was eight or nine years old.”
Asked if he was ever tempted, Mr Starmer said: “If you give up meat or fish on a matter of principle, you still sort of hanker after it. So, when he brings it in the house, it’s like ‘mmm’.”
Both Mr Sunak and his wife Ashkata Murty are vegetarians – but that’s not far from the PM’s most unusual dieting choice. A source close to the prime minister told the Sunday Times that Mr Sunak undertook a 36-hour fast at the start of every week, consuming only water, tea or black coffee from 5pm on a Sunday to 5am on Tuesday.
Mr Sunak told the BBC: “I tend to try and do some fasting at the beginning of every week as part of a general balanced lifestyle but everyone will do this differently.”
He admitted he also has “a weakness for sugary things”, and has previously described himself as a “Coca-Cola addict”, revealing he prefers Mexican Coke because it is made with “cane sugar rather than high fructose corn syrup”.
