Keir Starmer did not tell UK citizens to leave the country if they disagreed with Labour

Sir Keir Starmer did not tell UK citizens they could leave the country if they didn’t like the changes Labour had made, despite posts on social media suggesting otherwise.

A video shared on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and TikTok shows a clip from an apparent speech by the Prime Minister in which he says: “If you don’t like the changes that we’ve made, I say the door is open, and you can leave.”

Several of the posts suggest the video shows Mr Starmer telling “citizens” to leave the country, with one reading: “What kind of man have you voted into power, his own citizens told to leave, but he welcomes illegal immigrants.”

Another says: “How dare a british pm tell uk citizens to leave, If we don’t like it we can leave [sic]? So while the flood gates are open to foreigners, we have to put up and shut up or leave.”

This is misleading. The clip in question is taken from a speech given by Mr Starmer on 15 February 2023—more than a year before he became Prime Minister—and his comments were directed at Labour party members critical of changes made since he was elected party leader, including measures to tackle antisemitism within the party.

In the context of the full clip, it’s clear Mr Starmer was telling members they were welcome to leave the party, rather than telling UK citizens to leave the country.

We’ve found no evidence that Mr Starmer has said UK citizens could leave the country if they didn’t like his party’s policies, either before or since becoming Prime Minister in July. 

False or misleading claims about politicians have the potential to affect people’s opinions of individuals, parties or how they choose to vote. We often see these types of claims spread widely online.