A Telegraph journalist questioned Keir Starmer’s patriotism because he won’t support a new Royal yacht
Labour’s party conference has ended with the traditional party leader speech, which was repeatedly heckled, went on for 90 minutes, and polarised opinion on its merits.
My show will be over before this speech. By quite some distance.
— James O'Brien (@mrjamesob) September 29, 2021
A really impressive speech by @Keir_Starmer
— Hilary Benn (@hilarybennmp) September 29, 2021
Keir Starmer started his speech by accusing Johnson of refusing to address the real cause of the fuel crisis, HGV driver shortage & empty supermarkets
But he wouldn’t address it either. He didn’t mention the word Brexit & he didn’t make any proposal for putting it right. Sad
— Andrew Adonis (@Andrew_Adonis) September 29, 2021
He did manage to pull off a joke about Boris Johnson, here skilfully given a new setting by Matt Highton.
Here's Kier Starmer's Live at the Apollo tool maker joke. #Lab21 pic.twitter.com/Q6iulNDSiE
— Matthew Highton (@MattHighton) September 29, 2021
The Telegraph’s Chief Political Correspondent, Christopher Hope, had his own very specific complaint about some of Starmer’s words.
People weren’t exactly on board with his take, which wasn’t dripping with logic.
1.
1 yacht = 1 patriotism https://t.co/lTaLlh8iDM
— James Felton (@JimMFelton) September 29, 2021
2.
Do all patriots need a boat now then Father? pic.twitter.com/IFhaB0uF68
— christhebarker (@christhebarker) September 29, 2021
3.
Find yourself a guy who looks at you with the devotion Christopher Hope shows when he looks at the royal yacht https://t.co/VekPC7q6fK
— . (@twlldun) September 29, 2021
4.
Back off Hopey – making a tit of yourself over the Royal Yacht is MY job!
— Parody Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson_MP) September 29, 2021
5.
What a yardstick for patriotism. Spaffing money up the wall, on some vanity project.
Oh, and stop calling it a "royal" yacht. The Royal family have made it very clear they want nothing to do with it. https://t.co/VfVAEMh8KX pic.twitter.com/8csg0ooE7c
— Alex Andreou (@sturdyAlex) September 29, 2021
6.
If he really loved Britain, he'd announce a hundred royal yachts. https://t.co/lyGPQLMCZq
— Robert Hutton (@RobDotHutton) September 29, 2021
7.
WTF is patriotic about a £200m party boat none of us will ever get to use? https://t.co/j4LMW5Ydm9
— Mitch Benn🇬🇧🇪🇺 (@MitchBenn) September 29, 2021
8.
That’s the most failed “gotcha” I’ve ever seen on Twitter. https://t.co/IXYaWeGEyB
— Dr Mike Galsworthy (@mikegalsworthy) September 29, 2021
9.
This. I would sell every single one of my constituents for that royal yacht. https://t.co/UMbM7Olndt
— THE SECRET TORY (@secrettory12) September 29, 2021
Danny Wallace summed up the situation.
Likening a boat to patriotism is like saying "how can someone love the abstract concept of religion if they don't also like sweetcorn?"
— Danny Wallace (@dannywallace) September 29, 2021
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Source Christopher Hope Image Screengrab