Starmer's call for release of Gaza 'sausages' goes viral

A video of UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer calling on Hamas to return "the sausages" as he urged a peaceful solution to Israel's war on Gaza went viral on Tuesday.

Starmer's slip of the tongue came while he was speaking at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool, northwest England, as he meant to say "hostages".

Having first called for "restraint and de-escalation at the border between Lebanon and Israel", Starmer moved on to the Gaza conflict.

"I call again for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the return of the sausages," he said before quickly correcting himself with "the hostages" as applause rang out around the conference hall.

"And a recommitment to the two-state solution, a recognised Palestinian state alongside a safe and secure Israel," he continued.

Almost as soon as Starmer said the words, the video went viral on X, and by Tuesday evening, it was the second most shared content.

British media quickly jumped on Starmer's mistake, with the left-wing Guardian calling it a "gaffe" and the right-wing Daily Mail noting a "faux-pas".

Starmer was referring to the nearly year-long war that broke out on 7 October last year and the Israeli ground invasion of Gaza that followed.

Recent escalation has seen Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah move to the brink of all-out war.