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submitted 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) by Apepollo11@lemmy.world to c/youshouldknow@lemmy.world

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!

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[-] vikingtons@lemmy.world 159 points 4 months ago

we also like to refer to our PM as tosser or wanker

[-] TheMinions@lemmy.world 54 points 4 months ago

That’s Sir tosser to you!

[-] vikingtons@lemmy.world 26 points 4 months ago

this guy politcs

[-] Iheartcheese@lemmy.world 90 points 4 months ago

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

[-] vikingtons@lemmy.world 79 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

to be fair, pedantry is one of our key exports

[-] Nfamwap@lemmy.world 21 points 4 months ago
[-] vikingtons@lemmy.world 16 points 4 months ago

Sincerest apologies m'kind fellow!

[-] tegs_terry@feddit.uk 3 points 4 months ago

Put a comma after "apologies".

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[-] acockworkorange@mander.xyz 9 points 4 months ago
[-] Land_Strider@lemmy.world 2 points 4 months ago

Your T is already capital!

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[-] helpImTrappedOnline@lemmy.world 4 points 4 months ago

Why bother getting to know their politics? The UK has been going through Prime Ministers faster than McDonalds fry cooks.

/s

[-] Haus@startrek.website 3 points 4 months ago
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[-] ChairmanMeow@programming.dev 43 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

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.

[-] postgeographix@lemmy.world 22 points 4 months ago

Or you can just abbreviate that to "Cunt"

We all do it over here in blighty

[-] BigDanishGuy@sh.itjust.works 5 points 4 months ago

The right honourable, Sir Cunt?

[-] postgeographix@lemmy.world 4 points 4 months ago

He's not honorable, and fuck his landed title. Just 'right cunt' is better

[-] ADTJ@feddit.uk 8 points 4 months ago

Here in the UK, you'll need a licence rather than a license :)

Oi mate, do you have a Loicense for that license?

[-] Quetzalcutlass@lemmy.world 41 points 4 months ago

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?

[-] idiomaddict@feddit.de 10 points 4 months ago
[-] BigDanishGuy@sh.itjust.works 7 points 4 months ago

Mother fucker! I nearly broke my tongue just trying to pronounce that in my head

[-] vzq@lemmy.blahaj.zone 28 points 4 months ago

OI MATE YEW GOT A LOISENSE TO TAWK ABOUT SIR KEIR?

[-] Fedegenerate@lemmynsfw.com 6 points 4 months ago

You gotta TAWK TUAH to get to know 'er.

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[-] weeahnn@lemmy.world 24 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

What? You mean to tell me that he is not called Sir Prime Minister Mr. Keir Rodney Starmer? Unbelievable.

[-] SubArcticTundra@lemmy.ml 17 points 4 months ago
[-] weeahnn@lemmy.world 12 points 4 months ago

Mr. Sir Man

[-] vonxylofon@lemmy.world 4 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

Maybe. Who am I to judge?

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[-] dhork@lemmy.world 19 points 4 months ago
[-] Worx@lemmynsfw.com 11 points 4 months ago

Yeah, but we all already know who she is

[-] southsamurai@sh.itjust.works 9 points 4 months ago

She looks tired

[-] EleventhHour@lemmy.world 5 points 4 months ago

Damn you, you beat me to it

[-] victorz@lemmy.world 9 points 4 months ago

I'm not too familiar with knighthood. How did he become knighted?

[-] 1rre@discuss.tchncs.de 19 points 4 months ago

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

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[-] morbidcactus@lemmy.ca 9 points 4 months ago

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.

[-] Wanderer@lemm.ee 6 points 4 months ago

Hardly anyone used the Queens full title. I'm actually not sure if the King has fewer titles but I bet it's still long.

But the one that is absolutely wrong is Queen/King of England. There hasn't been a King/Queen of England for hundreds of years.

[-] T156@lemmy.world 6 points 4 months ago

Is there a Wrong Dishonourable title?

[-] beforan@lemm.ee 6 points 4 months ago

I think he has that title too by virtue of being an MP, not the PM.

other MPs (I assume all but could be wrong) are also Right Honourable.

[-] Tamo240@programming.dev 5 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

Actually MPs are just 'Honourable', only Privy Council members are 'Right Honourable'.

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[-] sunzu@kbin.run 8 points 4 months ago

That's daddy Starmer for you, boy

[-] southsamurai@sh.itjust.works 7 points 4 months ago

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

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[-] Puttaneska@lemmy.world 3 points 4 months ago

And titles (e.g., Miss, Ms, Mr, Mrs, Dr, Prof.) aren’t used with only the first name.

(Though the BBC likes to do this with their ‘celebrity’ doctors).

[-] sanguinepar@lemmy.world 3 points 4 months ago

Agreed in general, but I think 'Prime Minister Starmer' is fine tbh, when used by non UK media and people generally.

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this post was submitted on 05 Jul 2024
209 points (94.1% liked)

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