{"id":17931,"date":"2026-05-21T02:23:27","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T02:23:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/2026\/05\/21\/watch-that-would-be-breaking-news-starmers-slip-of-the-tongue-on-north-korea-goes-viral-leaves-commons-in-stitches-wion\/"},"modified":"2026-05-21T02:23:27","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T02:23:27","slug":"watch-that-would-be-breaking-news-starmers-slip-of-the-tongue-on-north-korea-goes-viral-leaves-commons-in-stitches-wion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/2026\/05\/21\/watch-that-would-be-breaking-news-starmers-slip-of-the-tongue-on-north-korea-goes-viral-leaves-commons-in-stitches-wion\/","title":{"rendered":"WATCH | 'That would be breaking news': Starmer's 'slip of the tongue' on North Korea goes viral, leaves Commons in stitches – WION"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\u2019s Questions on Wednesday (May 20). The British prime minister later corrected himself in Parliament, joking about the mistake while apologising to MPs. \u201cI\u2019ve just been handed a note saying that I inadvertently said we did a trade deal with North Korea rather than South Korea. \u201cThat would be breaking news and not very good. \u201cSo, before I\u2019m 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.\u201d
The comments came as Starmer defended his international record and highlighted trade negotiations undertaken during his premiership. \u201cIn the last two years, I\u2019ve been negotiating serious trade deals, which are vital for our most important sectors of the economy. \u201cThey\u2019re trade deals with the EU, but also with India, North Korea and the United States.\u201d 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\u2019s 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\u2019s overseas aid budget amid an Ebola outbreak in central Africa. \u201cWe now see a dangerous outbreak of Ebola in central Africa and many people fear it\u2019s going to spread and get much worse,\u201d Davey said. \u201cYet, there are rumours across Whitehall that the Prime Minister is planning further cuts to Britain\u2019s international aid programme this year. \u201cWill he today rule that out entirely?\u201d<\/p>\n