UK’s Starmer calls for ‘return of the sausages’ instead of hostages in speech gaffe
British PM interrupted by heckler asking about Gazan children; ‘This guy’s obviously got a pass from the 2019 conference,’ he responds
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer mistakenly called for the return of the “sausages,” instead of hostages from Gaza, in a speech at the UK Labour Party conference in Liverpool, northwest England, on Tuesday.
“I call again for restraint and de-escalation at the border between Lebanon and Israel. I call again for all parties to step back from the brink. I call again for all parties to step back from the brink,” he said, referring to the sharp escalation in clashes in recent days.
“I call again for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the return of the sausages – the hostages – and a recommitment to the two-state solution: recognized Palestinian state alongside a safe and secure Israel.”
During his speech, Starmer was interrupted by a protester while laying out a vision for the future of British children.
“Every child, every person, deserves to be respected for the contribution they make,” he said, when a member of the audience shouted, “Does that include the children of Gaza?”
Starmer resumed his speech to applause.
???? NEW: Keir Starmer calls for the ‘return of the sausages’ in Gaza, before correcting to ‘hostages’pic.twitter.com/T71PHGKh6m
— Politics UK (@PolitlcsUK) September 24, 2024
“This guy’s obviously got a pass from the 2019 conference. We’ve changed the party,” Starmer joked in response. “While he’s been protesting, we’ve been changing the party, that’s why we’ve got a Labour government.”
???? BREAKING: A heckler interupts Keir Starmer's speech
Starmer: “His pass must be from the 2019 conference” pic.twitter.com/enZ5JuB3NW
— Politics UK (@PolitlcsUK) September 24, 2024
Starmer became prime minister in July, winning a landslide victory for his party after 14 years of Conservative rule. He took over Labour from former leader Jeremy Corbyn, who faced repeated accusations of antisemitism. Starmer, whose wife Victoria Alexander is Jewish, worked to rid the party of antisemitism when he took its helm.
Starmer’s government has repeatedly called for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war and for speeding up aid deliveries to Gaza and demanded that Hamas release all hostages seized in its October 7 terror onslaught.
Earlier this month, it announced a partial suspension of arms exports to Israel over fears they could be used in a breach of humanitarian law, asserting this was “a legal decision” rather than one of policy.
It has also resumed funding for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees and their descendants (UNRWA) — which the UK suspended following allegations from Israel that members of its staff had taken part in the October 7 assault — and dropped a legal challenge over international arrest warrants for senior Israeli figures, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Israel denies that it has violated international law in Gaza, saying it seeks to minimize civilian casualties and takes far-reaching steps to that end. It further stresses that Hamas uses Gaza’s civilians as human shields, fighting from civilian areas including homes, hospitals, schools, and mosques — itself a violation of international law.
Israel’s war with Hamas erupted in the Gaza Strip following the terror group’s brutal assault inside Israel on October 7, in which some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were massacred and 251 were taken as hostages, 97 of whom remain in captivity.
The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says more than 41,000 people in the Strip have been killed or are presumed dead in the fighting so far, though the toll cannot be verified and does not differentiate between civilians and fighters. Israel says it has killed some 17,000 combatants in battle and another 1,000 terrorists inside Israel on October 7.
Israel’s toll in the ground offensive against Hamas in Gaza and in military operations along the border with the Strip stands at 348.
