Keir Starmer demands 'return of the sausages' in awkward Labour conference gaffe

The Labour Party Conference has once again been thrown into chaos with Keir Starmer suffering an unfortunate slip up in his speech this afternoon.

Sir Keir began was welcomed on stage in Liverpool with raucous applause, before running through a string of Labour pledges on pensions, veterans and knife crime.

However, the prime minister was left red-faced when calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and a demand to Hamas that Israeli hostages be released. Instead of hostages, he said "sausages".

His gaffe comes just a day after Rachel Reeves was heckled by a pro-Palestine activist, before he was grabbed by the neck and hauled out of the venue.

The heckler shouted about the sale of arms to Israel before security removed him from the hall. He shouted: "I thought we were voting for change Rachel, climate breakdown is on our doorstep.".

Ms Reeves responded that Labour "represents working people, not a party of protest." But there was more drama during Sir Keir's speech when another protester heckled the PM.

Sir Keir quipped in response:"This guy's obviously got a pass from the 2019 conference... While he's been protesting, we've been changing the party. That's why we've got a Labour Government."

The PM's "sausages" gaffe came amid a call for de-escalation between Lebanon and Israel and a ceasefire in Gaza. He told conference-goers: "This is a time when great forces demand a decisive government prepared to face the future. We can see that again in the Middle East today.

"So I call again for restraint and de-escalation at the border between Lebanon and Israel. Again, all parties to pull back from the brink.

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

"And that's the message I will take to the UN General Assembly when I travel there later today, alongside our steadfast support for Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression."

Follow all the latest from the Labour Party Conference in the Express live blog here.

In a wide-ranging speech, the prime minister said "the work of change" has begun, going on to list action already taken by his government.

He reeled off measures including planning reform, an end to the junior doctors' strike and the launch of GB Energy, which he confirmed will be based in Aberdeen.

Sir Keir Starmer promised to build "a Britain that works for you". He said: "Brick by brick, we can build a new home, a better home, built to last, built with pride, but above all, built together.

"A nation rebalanced so it once again serves the interests of working people, and through the power unleashed by that process, a renewal of who we are."