31 March 2026 Quick check

No, Keir Starmer didn’t threaten to embarrass Rupert Lowe on national TV

A fabricated exchange between the Prime Minister and Restore Britain MP Rupert Lowe has gained thousands of reactions online.

According to Facebook posts, Sir Keir Starmer told Mr Lowe: “SAY ONE MORE DUMB WORD, OLD BOY, AND I’LL EMBARRASS YOU ON NATIONAL TV.”

Mr Lowe is claimed to have responded by saying “You want embarrassment?...Try surviving th!s [sic]”, and delivered a “verba| landm!ne [sic]”, the contents of which isn’t revealed.

Although the Facebook posts don’t specify exactly where this exchange is alleged to have taken place, it says Mr Starmer “snapped across the chamber” in the presence of MPs, implying it occurred in the House of Commons.

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But we could find no record in Hansard, the official record of all parliamentary proceedings, of either man saying the quotes attributed to them in the viral posts.

And there is no credible media reporting of any such exchange occurring.

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