Sir Keir Starmer confirmed as keynote speaker at Yorkshire Post's Excellence in Business awards

Sir Keir has accepted an invitation to speak at our awards dinner on November 1, which celebrates the dynamic business leaders who are bringing jobs and investment to Yorkshire.

Sir Keir, who will be joined on stage by the broadcaster and journalist Steph McGovern, is a human rights barrister and Labour MP for Holborn and St Pancras. As the Shadow Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, Sir Keir is also responsible for outlining Labour’s approach to Brexit.

Before becoming an MP, Sir Keir was a human rights lawyer. He co-founded Doughty Street Chambers in 1990, and conducted cases in a wide range of international courts, including the European Court of Human Rights.

In 2008, Sir Keir was appointed Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and Head of the Crown Prosecution Service for England and Wales, a role he held until 2013.

It will be the second time Sir Keir has spoken at an event organised by The Yorkshire Post this year. In March, Sir Keir was the keynote speaker at the Yorkshire Fastest 50 awards, which are organised by The Yorkshire Post and Ward Hadaway.

Deputy Business Editor Greg Wright said: “We are delighted that Sir Keir has accepted our invitation to speak at this year’s Excellence in Business awards dinner.

“Brexit affects everyone and the guests at our awards will be very keen to hear Sir Keir’s views on how we can achieve the best possible outcome from the Brexit talks.

“He delivered a fascinating summary of the challenges and opportunities presented by Brexit at our Fastest 50 awards earlier this year, so all our sponsors and guests are in for a fascinating evening.

“The awards dinner is the most prestigious event in the region’s corporate calendar. We are also delighted that Steph McGovern has agreed to return as the presenter of our awards. She was a big hit with the audience last year.

“We expect the event to be a sell-out, so we are urging everyone to buy their tickets as quickly as possible.”

The winners of this year’s Excellence in Business Awards will be revealed at the ceremony on November 1 which is being held at York’s National Railway Museum.

The main sponsors for this year’s awards are DLA Piper, Grant Thornton, Yorkshire Bank and Yorkshire Water, as well as associate sponsors Doncaster Sheffield Airport, Office Monster, York Science Park, Leeds Beckett University, Sky Betting and Gaming and ENGIE.

The awards, which were established in 2006, are open to firms of all sizes and across all sectors. They have welcomed entries from large multi-nationals, and companies that were established on a kitchen table or inside a laboratory.

The awards honour household names, and help to spot the rising stars of the corporate world. Many have gone on to achieve global recognition.

Over the last 12 years, the awards have attracted a host of high profile speakers, including David Cameron, who attended when he was leader of the opposition, and the former Chancellor George Osborne. Other senior figures who have spoken at the awards include the former Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls, and Nick Clegg, the former Deputy Prime Minister.

A large number of captains of industry have played prominent roles at the glittering awards dinner, including Lord Rose, the former chief executive of Marks & Spencer. Entries for this year’s awards are now closed. Judging will take place in September with the shortlist to be published shortly afterwards.

To buy tickets for this year’s awards, please visit: https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/businessexcellenceawards/