(London) “I call again for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, for the sausages to come back…”: an excerpt from a speech by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer given in Liverpool on Tuesday, in which he stumbles over the word “hostage”, has gone viral.
The Labour leader was speaking at a conference of his party, which returned to power in July after 14 years of Conservative rule, in the city in northwest England.
Mr Starmer, who called for “restraint” and “de-escalation” on the Israel-Lebanon border after fresh Israeli strikes on Hezbollah, also reiterated the UK’s position in favour of an “immediate” ceasefire in Gaza.
“I call again for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the return of the sausages… the hostages,” he said, referring to the Israeli hostages kidnapped in an unprecedented Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.
Almost immediately after being uttered, the phrase went viral on social media. As of Tuesday night, it was the second most-shared content on X.
British tabloids and the international press also picked up on the slip, calling it a “blunder” or “gaffe”.