Prime Minister Keir Starmer apologised after mistakenly claiming the UK struck a trade deal with North Korea instead of South Korea
Keir Starmer sparked laughter in the House of Commons after accidentally claiming the UK had secured a trade deal with North Korea instead of South Korea during Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday (May 20). The British prime minister later corrected himself in Parliament, joking about the mistake while apologising to MPs. “I’ve just been handed a note saying that I inadvertently said we did a trade deal with North Korea rather than South Korea. “That would be breaking news and not very good. “So, before I’m referred to the Privileges Committee, can I correct the record in that regard? It was a slip of the tongue but a pretty unfortunate one.”
The comments came as Starmer defended his international record and highlighted trade negotiations undertaken during his premiership. “In the last two years, I’ve been negotiating serious trade deals, which are vital for our most important sectors of the economy. “They’re trade deals with the EU, but also with India, North Korea and the United States.” The accidental reference immediately drew attention in the Commons and online, given the UK’s lack of diplomatic and trade engagement with the isolated regime in Pyongyang.
The joke about the Privileges Committee referenced a recent political controversy involving Starmer. Last month, MPs rejected a Conservative effort to refer him to the Commons Privileges Committee over allegations he misled Parliament during discussions about appointing Peter Mandelson as Britain’s ambassador to the US. The issue surfaced during an exchange with Ed Davey, who challenged Labour figures over their opposition to Britain joining a customs union with the European Union.
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Davey also pressed Starmer over concerns surrounding possible cuts to Britain’s overseas aid budget amid an Ebola outbreak in central Africa. “We now see a dangerous outbreak of Ebola in central Africa and many people fear it’s going to spread and get much worse,” Davey said. “Yet, there are rumours across Whitehall that the Prime Minister is planning further cuts to Britain’s international aid programme this year. “Will he today rule that out entirely?”
Starmer responded by describing Ebola as a “very important issue.” “Obviously, we’re working at pace and with others in relation to that issue. “We did take a decision in relation to aid in order to fund defence spending because we needed to increase defence spending. “But we are committed to our overseas aid and we mitigated that with some of the measures that we put in place.” The World Health Organization has assessed the Ebola outbreak risk in Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda as high at national and regional levels, though low globally.
With over 12 years of experience in journalism, Jatin is currently working as Senior Sub-Editor at WION. He brings a dynamic and insightful voice to both the sports and the world o…Read More
