To wish Sir Keir and his wife would not hold hands when working

I'm not sure this really applies here. Most (if not all) here are women, some of us are POC and some of us are labour voters. Doesn't mean we can't find constant PDA's cringey though.

My mum used to say, couples who act overly affectionate in public constantly are usually trying to hide the fact that there are problems in the marital home.

Is holding hands 'overly affectionate' though. I doubt anyone would find a couple holding hands as being OTT affection!

I've seen couples in their 90s, married for 60+ years, holding hands.

Do you really think that all the thousands of couples around the world who hold hands all have lots of marital problems? More so than those who walk further apart, not holding hands? It would be ridiculous to think that, surely?

It’s not just leaders, it’s anyone at all when in a work capacity. Hence my comment earlier about imagining my manager and his wife constantly holding hands while walking around the office.

@poppymango The Queen is not the Prime Minister. The Queen also has people curtsying to her, no one curtsy's to Prime Ministers.
Leaders around the world hold hands with their spouse in these situations. It is normal.

Right on @DramaLlamaBangBang !

This post is the kind of tone policing that happens all the time when someone new comes into politics: women, POC, Labour. They are treated as “doing it wrong” for some subtle, minor, reason that is at once nothing and also blown up to enormous symbolic value.

In the US Mrs Obama was pilloried for being photographed in a sleeveless dress—popularized by Jackie Kennedy but a sign of a kind of unseriousness and unfitness when worn by the first African American first lady. Obama was attacked for wearing a tan suit. Or putting his feet up in the Oval office.

The accusation that Labour or women or POC don’t know how to comport themselves as representatives of the country is a kind of delegitimizing of democratic leaders who don’t come from traditional bastions of power—or who do (like keir starmer) but who represent constituents who may come from diverse backgrounds. This method of holding women, POC, new leaders to invisible standards of perfection is really dsmaging.

As Dramalama observed above the capers of Boris Johnson were not as despised as the mere handholding incident.
As for the sudden cost consciousness (I object to my tax money paying for her!) why don’t you investigate? In the US there are quite strict rules about who pays for what when the families of politicians are involved. Usually these expenses must be paid for by the politician. But if you look closely at press coverage you will see that its only an issue when outsider/democratic politicians take office. Both the Clintons snd the Obamas were badgered snd put under a microscope for things like a playset for their children (they paid) when no stories were written about household costs at sll for the republican presidents.

Because they are in a professional environment.

Being photographed holding hands by paparazzi while you’re in Cornwall on your holidays, or in the park with your kids, is one thing. Holding hands when you’re on duty and in work mode and you know the press are going to be there is quite different.

It’s the same reason we rarely saw any PDA between the late Queen and Prince Philip. It wasn’t because they didn’t like each other, it’s because 99% of the time if the cameras were on them they were in work mode and it was considered unprofessional.

Do you do it every second, every minute, every time you are out in public?

Ah, but I’m reliably informed that it’s only ‘the left’ who are bitter or insulting or sore losers. Odd.

So ‘of course world leaders hold hands with their spouses’, but Starmer doing it is unprofessional and inappropriate. You’re going to have to explain your thinking on that one.

That wasn't cringey when DT did that it was just downright rude. Not even because she was the queen, but because you just don't do that to an elderly woman whoever they are.

Do you do it every second, every minute, every time you are out in public?

We're perhaps a little bit annoyed because as always, people of a certain political persuasion are looking to slate a brand new PM with trivial , inaccurate and hypocritical comments instead of going for policy. 5 minutes in and the smearing and sneering is full on. Sore losers aplenty on MN.

I don't think it's cringey. When Trump walked in front of Queen Elizabeth now that was cringey.

As for those saying why does she have to go to the US. She's the first lady. She might not be PM but she is supporting her husband in his new role.

We're perhaps a little bit annoyed because as always, people of a certain political persuasion are looking to slate a brand new PM with trivial , inaccurate and hypocritical comments instead of going for policy. 5 minutes in and the smearing and sneering is full on. Sore losers aplenty on MN.

Do you do it every second, every minute, every time you are out in public?

I asked a question, so I'm not sure why you're being so unpleasant.

I don't keep tabs on the trailing spouses at NATO events, no.

I disagree. They’re not on holiday, they’re arriving in a professional capacity with the cameras of the national press on them. “Working” for them is not the same as “working” for us (ie going into the office).

It’s obviously a conscious decision to present a united front and to tell the world how they want to be perceived as a couple.

And yes of course world leaders hold hands with their spouses 😂