Sir Keir Starmer denies eclectic Desert Island Disc choices have been 'focus grouped'

Sir Keir Starmer has denied choosing his Desert Island Disc tracks based on focus group answers after he selected a football anthem and a Beethoven symphony as his favourite songs.

The Labour leader appeared on the BBC’s Desert Island Discs programme on Sunday and chose an eclectic mix of music, including ‘Three Lions’, a football song written to mark England’s hosting of the 1996 European Championships, and ‘Out on the Floor’ by Dobie Gray, a Northern soul song.

Sir Keir also chose a symphony by Beethoven, the EU’s favourite composer, and a charity cover of Simon and Garfunkel’s ‘Bridge over Troubled Water’ by artists, including Stormzy, who were raising money for the victims of the Grenfell disaster.

He said the Grenfell track was “a reminder that for all the factional and party positions, politics is about people and Grenfell brought a shudder to everybody."

Lauren Laverne, the presenter, challenged Sir Keir on the unusual mixture, suggesting they might be the result of a “focus group to get approval for these tracks first”.

“These are entirely my own choices,” Sir Keir replied.

“If you run into anybody I’ve known for a long time, they will tell you this is the genuine Keir Starmer list.”

Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony No 6 (fifth movement) is a favourite of his father, while his mother enjoyed ‘Welcome to My World’ by Jim Reeves, he said.

Sir Keir said the Northern soul track by Dobie Gray reminded him of “my early days in London in a really grotty flat above a sauna and massage parlour that kept interesting hours”.

The other tracks the Labour leader selected include ‘Falling and Laughing’ by Orange Juice, a song that "captures those early years at university and beyond, and  ‘Oh Happy Day’ by the Edwin Hawkins Singers, which he said "reminds me of all the challenges we went through [in Northern Ireland]”.

‘Three Lions’, the football track, was playing when Sir Keir watched England play in the European championship in 1996. He stressed that he still enjoys football, telling the programme he plays “every week”.

His “luxury item” to be enjoyed on a desert island was a football, and the book he chose was an atlas, to escape the island back to his family.

Sir Keir’s interview recalled the choices of Ed Miliband, who was accused of “hedging his bets” by choosing well-known classic songs including ‘Angels’ by Robbie WIlliams and Neil Diamond’s ‘Sweet Caroline’.

The current Labour leader chose instead to select a number of obscure songs, which he maintained were genuine favourites.

He also used the interview to talk candidly about his father, who he described as “difficult” and “complicated”.

"I don't often talk about my dad,” he said.

"He was a difficult man, a complicated man, he kept himself to himself, he didn't particularly like to socialise, so wouldn't really go out very much. But he was incredibly hard-working."

Sir Keir said his father had “utter devotion and commitment” to his mother, who had lived with the autoimmune condition Still's Disease since she was 11.

She eventually died a few weeks before he was elected an MP in 2015.

"My mum was very, very ill all of her life and my dad knew exactly the symptoms of everything that might possibly go wrong with my mum,” he said.

“He knew exactly what drugs or combination of drugs or injection would be needed.

"He stopped drinking completely just in case he ever needed to get to the hospital with her. On the many occasions she was in hospital he would stay with her the whole time, he wouldn't leave the hospital, he would sleep on any chair or whatever was available."