Starmer was born Victoria Alexander in London in 1973 or 1974, and raised in [[Gospel Oak]], north west London. Her father Bernard, an economics lecturer and an observant Jew, was born in 1929 in [[Hackney, London|Hackney]] to a [[Polish-Jewish]] family that migrated to the United Kingdom prior to [[World War II]].<ref name=strick/> Her mother Barbara, who died in 2020, was a community doctor in the [[National Health Service]] (NHS) and converted to [[Judaism]] upon marriage.<ref name="Death Notices">{{Cite journal|url=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0141076820934729|title=Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine Death Notices|journal=Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine |date=June 2020 |volume=113 |issue=6 |pages=238 |doi=10.1177/0141076820934729 |access-date=5 July 2024}}</ref><ref name="NHS Executive Coach">{{Cite web|url=https://www.leadershipacademy.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/2013-14Coaching-Register-V5020414.pdf|title=NHS Leadership Academy Coaching Register 2013-2014|publisher=NHS Leadership Academy|accessdate=5 July 2024|archive-date=8 July 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240708154710/https://www.leadershipacademy.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/2013-14Coaching-Register-V5020414.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> Starmer has an older sister.<ref name=fraser>{{cite newsmagazine |last1last=Fraser|first1first=Tali |title=A future First Lady? With prime ministerial power in reach for Sir Keir Starmer, his wife Victoria could emerge from her north London cocoon into the global limelight. But who is she? |url=https://www.tatler.com/article/the-rising-starmer-who-is-lady-victoria-starmer-tatler-january-2023-issue |access-date=27 May 2024 |workmagazine=[[Tatler]] |date=22 May 2024 |archive-date=27 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240527130423/https://www.tatler.com/article/the-rising-starmer-who-is-lady-victoria-starmer-tatler-january-2023-issue |url-status=live}}</ref> She was educated at [[Channing School]] in [[Highgate, London]],<ref>{{cite news |last=Baldwin |first=Tom |title=The private life of Keir Starmer — his wife and family reveal all|url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/keir-starmer-labour-leader-general-election-biography-v706kqcd2 |access-date=27 May 2024 |work=[[The Times]] |date=17 February 2024 |url-access=subscription |archive-date=26 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240526003640/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/keir-starmer-labour-leader-general-election-biography-v706kqcd2 |url-status=live}}</ref> and later graduated with degrees in law and sociology from [[Cardiff University]], where she was president of the [[Cardiff University Students' Union|student union]] from 1994 to 1995.<ref name=strick/>
She was educated at [[Channing School]] in [[Highgate, London]],<ref>{{cite news |last1=Baldwin |first1=Tom |title=The private life of Keir Starmer — his wife and family reveal all |url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/keir-starmer-labour-leader-general-election-biography-v706kqcd2 |access-date=27 May 2024 |work=[[The Times]] |date=17 February 2024 |url-access=subscription |archive-date=26 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240526003640/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/keir-starmer-labour-leader-general-election-biography-v706kqcd2 |url-status=live }}</ref> and later graduated with degrees in law and sociology from [[Cardiff University]], where she was president of the [[Cardiff University Students' Union|student union]] from 1994 to 1995.<ref name=strick/>