Keir Starmer admits making Israeli hostages ‘sausages’ gaffe

Sir Keir Starmer admitted he mangled his words when referring to Israeli hostages as “sausages” during his Labour conference speech this week.

When asked about the blunder, Sir Keir said he was prepared to be ribbed over the gaffe which was ridiculed across social media.

“I just mangled the beginning of the word,” he admitted. “These things are there to give you all the opportunity to rib me.”

The prime minister butchered a call for Hamas to release Israeli hostages still held in Gaza, instead demanding the “return of the sausages” before swiftly correcting himself.

“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.

“I call again for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the return of the sausages – the hostages – and a recommitment to the two-state solution: recognised Palestinian state alongside a safe and secure Israel.”

The prime minister quickly recovered from the slip-up, which swiftly went viral. The Conservatives posted on X: “Keir Starmer uses his first big speech as Prime Minister to call for the return of the sausages.”

The Tories also whipped together a Star Wars-themed meme for their TikTok page, which racked up over 200,000 page views.

In the video posted on 25 September, Starmer is making his speech, then says the “return of the sausages” blunder.

Almost immediately, the screen cuts to a version of the iconic scrolling texts from the Star Wars films, which introduces viewers to each movie.

Although the TikTok went viral, the Tories still faced some criticism for posting it. One person in the comments wrote: “Because Boris Johnson has never accidentally said the wrong thing.”

Another said: “First TikTok from the conservatives that’s actually funny.”