YSK how to talk about the PM of the UK.
YSK how to talk about the PM of the UK.
I'm seeing a lot of international messages getting this wrong, so this is how you refer to the Prime Minister of the UK.
First, we normally refer to the PM just by name, like anyone else. So, "Keir Starmer" or "Mr Starmer".
"Prime Minister" is not used as a title like "President" is. He's not "Prime Minister Starmer". He's just "the Prime Minister" or "the Prime Minister, Keir Starmer".
Unusually, this new PM is also a knight. Of course, this has its own rules.
If you want to use this title, it's not quite as simple as replacing "Mr" with "Sir'. The first name is more important than the surname here. He's not "Sir Starmer". He's "Sir Keir Starmer" or "Sir Keir".
Hope it helps!
we also like to refer to our PM as tosser or wanker
That’s Sir tosser to you!
this guy politcs
I figured this was going to be somebody wanting to talk about his politics or something like that but no it's just a pedantic Englishman pissed that people are using the wrong title
to be fair, pedantry is one of our key exports
And we love you for it! My current favorite YouTuber is doing a "Star Trek Reviewed by a pedant" https://youtube.com/@unlimited_lives?si=h3DEcI8wWpVj-MgK
Why bother getting to know their politics? The UK has been going through Prime Ministers faster than McDonalds fry cooks.
/s
That always ends up happening. Whenever a government has being in power for too long they start to break into 90 different factions and spend their entire time fighting each other, and not getting anything else done.
Also a certain group of the Conservatives have started to play by the Republican Party playbook, while the rest of them are politely asking if maybe they could not be fascists? Of course appeasement never works so apparently the next best option is to have giant arguments about it and replace the PM every 10 minutes.
Fortunately Labour are another party, and regardless of what you think about them as a party, they are at least different and are less fractional currently, so perhaps now we can get something done.
The Right Honourable Member of Parliament Sir Keir Rodney Starmer, Knight of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath, King's Council to His Royal Majesty Charles the Third, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of His other Realms and Territories, King, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith, Lord of Mann, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Anything less is offensive and requires a licence.
He's "Sir Keir Starmer" or "Sir Keir".
Oh, so when you say it it's alright, but when we say it "it's called football". Double standards much?
Incredible username
Mother fucker! I nearly broke my tongue just trying to pronounce that in my head
Unless you're Harriet Jones, Prime Minister
She looks tired
Damn you, you beat me to it
Canada's Westminster system the PM also gets Right Honourable as an title, going to assume it's similar based on some googling so you could totally use The Rt Hon Sir Keir Starmer, but I've very very rarely seen news media use full titles outside of reporting on ceremonial activities.
I'm not too familiar with knighthood. How did he become knighted?
He did a fairly good job as the head of criminal prosecutions in the UK for around 5 years, and he was knighted to recognise that when he stepped down
That's... it? You can get knighted for being "fairly good" at your job for half a decade, and then quitting?
Heck, I'm "fairly good" as a software developer. I'm pretty darn good actually, and have been working for more than half a decade, and I don't intend to quit. Where do I queue for one of them knightings? 😅🗡️
In fairness, this only applies in formal communication with someone from England. Even then, not everyone will choose to recognize his title, despite recognizing his position as PM.
It's still good to know! Never hurts to have understanding of formalities like this, and it's interesting. It's just that the application of it isn't going to come up often in places that aren't part of the Commonwealth
Are you allowed to not use the title? Like, could a newspaper call him starmeyboy?
Absolutely - if anything, there's a reluctance to use formal titles in the UK in general.
I used to teach at university - students and staff alike just use first names when addressing each other. When signing emails, we just use our first name, no letters, job title, anything.
It's even something specifically touched on in our orientation guide for foreign students.
As for newspapers and Prime Ministers specifically, one of the biggest newspapers, The Guardian, has a cartoonist who has always drawn David Cameron with a condom covering his head. There's absolutely no deference shown to Prime Ministers here.
Agreed in general, but I think 'Prime Minister Starmer' is fine tbh, when used by non UK media and people generally.
Kier Elizabeth Starmer