Sir Keir Starmer was forced to correct the record after accidentally announcing a trade deal with North Korea in the House of Commons. During an answer to Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey at Prime Minister's Questions this afternoon, the prime minister rattled through deals his government has made with different countries.
He said: 'There are trade deals with the EU, but also with India, North Korea, and the United States, and I remind them of the value of those deals.' It might not need pointing out that no agreement has, in fact, been struck with Kim Jong-Un's totalitarian regime.
This was pointed out later in the session when a note was passed to Starmer. The PM told MPs: 'I've just been handed a note saying that I inadvertently said we did a trade deal with North Korea instead of South Korea.'
Amid laughter in the House, he muttered about the potential of being referred to the Privileges Committee and offered to correct the record. He added: 'It was a slip of the tongue, but a pretty unfortunate one.'
The gaffe quickly drew attention on social media, with some users joking about the unlikely prospect of trade negotiations with the isolated state. Others noted the irony of confusing a country known for its nuclear program with a major economic partner like South Korea.
This incident comes as Starmer continues to face scrutiny over his government's trade policy. The UK has been actively seeking new trade agreements since leaving the European Union, with deals already secured with Australia and New Zealand, and ongoing negotiations with India and the United States.
Despite the embarrassment, the prime minister's team moved to downplay the mistake, emphasizing that it was a simple verbal slip. A Downing Street spokesperson later confirmed that the official record would be corrected to reflect that the trade deal is with South Korea, not North Korea.
