Starmer: We cannot ‘shrug our shoulders’ at problem with boys and young men

Sir Keir Starmer said problems with the attitudes of some boys and young men cannot be ignored.

The Prime Minister said the Government should not “shrug our shoulders” about the challenges, although he rejected the suggestion a “minister for men” was needed.

His comments came after former England football manager Sir Gareth Southgate said many young men were turning to “manipulative and toxic influencers” because of a lack of male role models.

Debate

Sir Keir told BBC Radio 5 Live he had spoken to Sir Gareth about the issue.

“I am worried about this; I’ve got a 16-year-old boy and a 14-year-old girl,” he said.

“There’s a reason why the debate has suddenly sparked into life on this and that’s because I think a lot of parents, a lot of people who work with young people at school or elsewhere, recognise that we may have a problem with boys and young men that we need to address.”

In a lecture earlier this month, Sir Gareth said “callous” influencers online trick young men into thinking women are against them.

He warned of young men “withdrawing into the online world, reluctant to talk or express their emotions” as “real-world communities and mentorship declines”.

He said a “void” in their search for direction is often now being filled by some influencers who “willingly trick young men into believing that success is measured by money or dominance”.

“Minister for men”

The issue has also been addressed in the Netflix drama Adolescence, which Sir Keir said he was watching with his children.

The Prime Minister suggested footballers and athletes could be role models for boys and young men but said there was also a need for inspirational people in communities.

Asked who the British male role models were, Sir Keir told BBC Radio 5 Live: “I always go to sport for this. Footballers, athletes, I think they are role models.

“But I also think if you actually ask a young person, they’re more likely to identify somebody who’s in their school, a teacher, or somebody who maybe is a sports coach, something like that.

“So we need to make sure that – this is something that dads do, dad would reach for a sort of sporting hero – I think children, young people, are more likely to reach someone closer to them, within their school, within their community.

“And that’s, I think, where we need to do some of the work.”

He rejected the idea of creating a “minister for men”, saying: “I don’t think that’s the answer”.

He said: “I think it is a time for listening carefully to what Gareth Southgate was saying and responding to it and certainly that’s what I want to do.

“I’ve been in touch with Gareth Southgate, I want to have that further discussion with him. We’ve already had a bit of a discussion about this.

“But I do think it’s important we pick this challenge up and see it for what it is.”