FACT CHECK: Did Keir Starmer Tell UK Residents To Leave The Country If They Disagree With Labour Party Policies?

A post shared on X claims British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told U.K. residents to leave the country if they disagree with decisions made by the Labour Party. 

So @Keir_Starmer says that if we don’t like what @UKLabour are doing, we can leave!!!!

WTAF?!

Does this shower of shite understand that the fundamental role of the government is to serve the people!!??

Sir Keir, if we don’t like what you’re doing, you’ll be the one to leave.…

— Andrea 🇬🇧🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🇮🇪🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 (@andie1105) December 1, 2024

Verdict: False

The comment was taken out of context.

Fact Check:

Starmer said Monday that showing increased support for Ukraine could aid in its peace talks and could potentially lead to a negotiated end of the war, according to Reuters. He warned that a Russian victory could put Europe at a great risk and all European nations have a “shared future,” the outlet reported.

An X post claims Starmer urged citizens of the United Kingdom to leave the country if they disagree with the Labour Party’s decisions. The post shared the claim in text and ended the post with “#LabourOut.” (RELATED: Did British Prime Minister Keir Starmer Claim To Make Pork For His Jewish Wife?)

“So @Keir_Starmer says that if we don’t like what @UKLabour are doing, we can leave!!!! WTAF?! Does this shower of shite understand that the fundamental role of the government is to serve the people!!??” the post reads. “Sir Keir, if we don’t like what you’re doing, you’ll be the one to leave. YOU work for us, not the other way around #LabourOut.”

Starmer’s comment has been taken out of context and misconstrued. The statement was originally made during a speech in February 2023, which can be seen on YouTube. In context, Starmer was speaking about the party’s steps taken to reduce antisemitism, and he urged those who disagree with these changes to leave the party, not the country. The context starts at about 4:05 in the video. 

“It [the party] will never again be brought to its knees by racism or bigotry,” he says in the address. “If you don’t like that, if you don’t like the changes that we’ve made, I say, the door is open and you can leave.” He then invites those who believe they can help the country become a better place to “come in.”

Starmer was still Labour Party leader at this time and did not become prime minister until July 4, 2024, according to Britannica.

Check Your Fact reached out to a Starmer spokesperson for comment.