Keir Starmer has made history as the first Western Prime Minister to publicly take an HIV test, highlighting his commitment to tackling HIV stigma and promoting awareness during National HIV Testing Week. The test was taken at Downing Street on Friday afternoon alongside singer and HIV campaigner Beverley Knight, who is a patron of the Terrence Higgins Trust, the UK’s leading HIV charity.
The initiative comes at a time when research shows that over 80% of adults in England are unaware that it’s possible to test for HIV at home, according to polling by YouGov on behalf of the charity. The UK Health Security Agency estimates that around 4,700 people are living with undiagnosed HIV in England, reported by the Mirror.
