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

[BeaQuiet]

They've arrived in Washington DC on official business clutching hands like the Macrons, the Obamas and the Sussexes.

AiBU to find it a bit cringey?

And before anyone asks, yes I do have bigger things to worry about but I fancy a chat.

If you can’t see the difference there’s no hope for you.

Not if its natural, but if they can't seem to be able to go anywhere without gripping their partner for dear life of being all over them like a rash then something is wrong. As I mentioned upthread, the Obamas held hands and it appeared natural. The Sussexes it seems forced and unnatural. There's a difference.

Hence my comment earlier about imagining my manager and his wife constantly holding hands while walking around the office.

That would be odd, but that's not what Sir Keir and Lady Starmer are doing.

His wife's not in work mode. She works in the NHS. It's not her job to be his wife. Some PM's wives take that role on as a job, but she's made it clear she's not doing that - didn't do so on the campaign trail and is only with him occasionally for these things as his partner. So there's no 'work mode' to finger wag at her.

Just because you are unconscious of the nature of this complaint that you are making doesn’t make you any the less a part if the cultural issues involved.

They're obviously consciously holding hands because they know the world's press are there. It is a staged photo op, though to be fair it looks as if they like each other too. I'm sure all the other handholding couples (see previous posts and news reports for at least the last 10 years passim) have made deliberate choices too. Just like Rishi Sunak and Askshata Murty made the deliberate choice to hold hands as they left Downing Street.

They like and support each other. Shock horror.

Crikey, I hope our new PM can do his job without his wife holding his hand!

I never said they did. I was referring to those who do.

It was the clear implication in context. If that wasn’t what you meant, what did you mean?

Indeed, and I think this is the real difference.

It doesn’t bother me, but I was raised to believe PDA while in any kind of work capacity is broadly inappropriate - and this is what OP asked.

Who said I was unconscious of the issues you mentioned?

It’s not a work capacity any more than going to, say, a works dinner is a work capacity. Would people seriously not hold hands or show affection of any sort to a spouse at a works dinner?

Don't be a tit. You know perfectly well she's his wife.

Exactly. This is the difference.

🙄

Yabu

Read the OP.

No, really…what was the relevance if it wasn’t to compare what @BIWI had said about her relationship with the Starmers? Don’t hide behind an eye roll.

YABU they are probably leaning on each other for support - huge change of lifestyle!

I was raised to believe PDA while in any kind of work capacity is broadly inappropriate - and this is what OP asked.

Someone should have told these guys.

My exH wanted to hold hands all the time too, ALL THE TIME it was absolutely suffocating. I often wondered if I ought to offer him a boob as well.

While there may be an element of that, the Macron’s still hold hands and they aren’t newbies. The Obamas hold hands. Cameron and his wife s
used to. Google images of any political leader and their spouse and you’ll see loads of hand holding pictures. It’s a bit of a convention I think now, but I do feel like the Starmers would do it anyway. It looks natural.

Is this what MN is going to be like for the next 5 years? Nitpicking over every single teeny tiny thing Starmer does?

Starmer and his wife seem to genuinely care for each other. That is a good thing.

She clearly doesn’t work for the NHS at the moment she’s pictured with him and she accompanies him on a work function, so one can argue that she does perform a job for him.