How does Kier Starmer do it?!

I'd need a lot more than a full size bed to get me through that kind of schedule. 😂

Slightly more pressure running a country don't you think?!
And I bet he does do all of those things when he gets a break!

Even without mental load/packing your own socks etc, it's pretty reductive to say he's "only" got to govern.
I started out having sympathy with Boris Johnsons government when faced with covid and all the strands of legislation that involved and balancing health v economy. (Sympathy quickly waned when more emerged about ppe deals, parties, Barnard castle etc)
But all PMs have a balancing act of where to prioritise spending etc. What policies will be acceptable to a majority of people, how to raise revenue etc. Keir Starmer inherited the CoL crisis, NHS crisis, many public services cut to the bone....as well as now the potential prospect of war. "Just Governing" sounds 100% tougher than the average mental load and I'm sure not comparable to most standard jobs

So what? All of those things are totally trivial in comparison to the massive challenges that any PM would have to juggle, let alone a PM in the midst of the biggest international crisis in decades.

I'm a bit younger than KS, my children are very similar ages. Whilst I have every respect for him and the job he's doing, I suspect he's not also finishing work, making a meal, dropping one child at orchestra, whizzing round Morrison's and picking a different child up from cricket nets, before finishing off a couple of reports before bed.

This has been on my mind too. And when does VZ see his family.

I think it helps having people around, like he can just concentrate on the meeting because everything else is managed. I agree though he has been so impressive and I’m glad we have him and not Johnson at the moment (or god forbid Truss). I think the job really takes its toll, when you see pictures of PMs at beginning and end of their term you can see how much the job ages them.

Yes he must be exhausted!

That hug between Starmer and Zelenskyy brought tears to my eyes - I think we all wanted to do that after the previous night's bullying session.

But even with everything else taken care of, there is an immense amount to juggle.

Most of us probably can't even imagine the weight of the "mental load" that a PM has to carry. The fact that the trivia of day to day life is taken care of is almost irrelevant when you consider how much else has to fill that space.

I agree OP. I don't know if I could stand to be in the same room as Trump and Vance. And yes he must be knackered, fair play to him.
He was sweet with Zalensky yesterday.

DH???

Another one here who has always been a bit meh about Starmer but he is really showing what true leadership is at the moment. How he walking that diplomatic line so well, being so clear and yet defusing situations is beyond impressive and makes me very grateful he’s our PM at a time like this. The fact he’s kept Trump onside but has still very publicly and demonstratively shown his support and empthay for Zelensky is inspiring - and by treading this line it cleverly allows others to shout louder about what we are all thinking about the Cheeto in his ivory tower…..

Imagine having to give sealed orders to nuclear submarine commanders.

Yes, the javelins/spears bit was clear, but the sheets was confusing!
Poor Zelensky, no wonder he looked flummoxed. Plus he's got people spreading the rumour he's a drug addict 🙄

I think they are jet lagged a lot of the time, not good when making such important decisions. And they can't misstep as this all matters so much.

Whoever compared it to being a working mum, well no, if little Timmy forgets his gym kit, or you blow up at your mother in law it won't start WWW3.

He genuinely believed that the UK would be invaded and that was a very, very dark time. It was very clear what a Nazi invasion would mean. The only person he confided in was the King. That's why he and the Queen slept with loaded pistols.

I was confused by this too. Apparently sheets were actually blankets and things like that. One of Laura Kuenssberg's guests repeated the clean with different language this morning. And spears are javelins which are weapons. Apparently.

Even worse...imagine if it was Farage!

I want to bring Zelenskyy home with me, let him have a bath and a meal and 12 hours sleep with a cat on his bed then send him out to face the world again....

This. DH and I watched The Darkest Hour last night and I said exactly the same thing about Churchill - yes, it was clearly a stressful and busy time, but he didn't have to do anything other than govern.

Absolutely everything else was taken care of for him.

It's just an attempt to smear Zelensky.

I (unfortunately) have known a lot of coke heads in my time and I really didn't get that vibe at all

This is exactly why I much prefer someone “boring” in charge, instead of the clown that was Boris Johnson, who made ALL his decisions based on what would be best for Boris Johnson.

Also, I've no idea what Trump meant by "Biden gave you sheets, I gave you spears" what sheets? I'd be thrown and English is my 1st language!

That's true. Sometimes we sniff to inhale quickly in stressful situations. I think this poster's implications are not well intentioned.