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submitted 1 week ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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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[-] [email protected] 152 points 1 week ago

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

[-] [email protected] 50 points 1 week ago

That’s Sir tosser to you!

[-] [email protected] 23 points 1 week ago

this guy politcs

[-] [email protected] 88 points 1 week 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

[-] [email protected] 77 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

to be fair, pedantry is one of our key exports

[-] [email protected] 21 points 1 week ago
[-] [email protected] 16 points 1 week ago

Sincerest apologies m'kind fellow!

[-] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago

Put a comma after "apologies".

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[-] [email protected] 9 points 1 week ago
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[-] [email protected] 4 points 1 week ago

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

/s

[-] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago

Not to mention cabbages.

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[-] [email protected] 43 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week 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.

[-] [email protected] 21 points 1 week ago

Or you can just abbreviate that to "Cunt"

We all do it over here in blighty

[-] BigDanishGuy 5 points 1 week ago

The right honourable, Sir Cunt?

[-] [email protected] 4 points 1 week ago

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

[-] [email protected] 8 points 1 week ago

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

[-] [email protected] 6 points 1 week ago

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

[-] slackassassin 4 points 1 week ago
[-] [email protected] 41 points 1 week 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?

[-] [email protected] 10 points 1 week ago
[-] BigDanishGuy 7 points 1 week ago

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

[-] [email protected] 28 points 1 week ago

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

[-] [email protected] 6 points 1 week ago

You gotta TAWK TUAH to get to know 'er.

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[-] [email protected] 24 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

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

[-] [email protected] 17 points 1 week ago
[-] [email protected] 12 points 1 week ago

Mr. Sir Man

[-] [email protected] 4 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Maybe. Who am I to judge?

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[-] [email protected] 19 points 1 week ago
[-] [email protected] 11 points 1 week ago

Yeah, but we all already know who she is

[-] southsamurai 9 points 1 week ago

She looks tired

[-] [email protected] 5 points 1 week ago

Damn you, you beat me to it

[-] [email protected] 9 points 1 week 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.

[-] [email protected] 6 points 1 week 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.

[-] [email protected] 6 points 1 week 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.

[-] [email protected] 5 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

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

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[-] [email protected] 6 points 1 week ago

Is there a Wrong Dishonourable title?

[-] [email protected] 9 points 1 week ago

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

[-] [email protected] 19 points 1 week 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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[-] southsamurai 7 points 1 week 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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[-] [email protected] 3 points 1 week 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).

[-] [email protected] 3 points 1 week 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
202 points (93.9% liked)

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