Watch: Starmer calls for return of ‘sausages’ from Gaza in conference gaffe

Prime Minister misreads his script, which called for return of Israeli hostages taken by Hamas

Sir Keir Starmer has called for the return of the “sausages” from Gaza in a slip-up during his speech at the Labour Party conference.
In an embarrassing gaffe, the Prime Minister misread his script – which called for the return of Israeli hostages taken by Hamas on Oct 7 last year.
He said: “I call again for restraint and de-escalation between Lebanon and Israel. I call again for all parties to pull back from the brink.
“I call again for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the return of the sausages… the hostages, and a recommitment to the two-state solution, a recognised Palestine and a safe and secure Israel.”
The Prime Minister also said criticism of the way he runs his Government was “water off a duck’s back”.
“Politics can be on the side of good, politics can be on the side of truth and justice, politics can secure a better life for your family through the steady and uncompromising work of service,” he said.
“Because service is responsibility and opportunity for all. The precondition for hope. The bond of respect that can unite a country, bind us to the politics of national renewal. Service doesn’t mean you get everything you want. It doesn’t mean everyone will agree.
“But it does mean we understand that every decision we take, we take together, and that it is our duty for the British people to face up to necessary decisions in their interests.
“And conference – you know me by now, so you know all those shouts, the bad faith advice from people who still hanker after the politics of the people before me, the weak and tawdry fantasy of populism, it’s water off a duck’s back. Mere glitter on a shirt cuff.”
The Conservatives responded with a video on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The party said: “Keir Starmer uses his first big speech as Prime Minister to call for the return of the sausages.”
It then led to a Star Wars style title, saying: “Episode X: Return of the Sausages.”