A chorus of boos rang out at the Royal Albert Hall when Prime Minister Keir Starmer's voice was introduced during a comedy segment at this year's Royal Variety Performance.
The jeering erupted during a sketch by the long-running radio impressionists Dead Ringers, whose cast includes Jon Culshaw, Jan Ravens, Lewis MacLeod, and Duncan Wisbey.
The group was performing as part of their 25th anniversary celebrations.
The annual charity event was recorded in November but aired on ITV on Sunday evening, with viewers at home left surprised that the negative response had not been removed from the final broadcast.
The audience booed at the mention of Keir Starmer's name
|ITV
The sketch took the form of a Celebrity Traitors parody, with performers impersonating successive occupants of Number 10.
While impressions of Tony Blair and Theresa May drew laughter from the crowd, the reception changed dramatically when the Starmer character appeared.
The performer playing the Prime Minister leaned into the hostile response, quipping: "Thank you, thank you. It's so lovely to be here."
The impersonator continued with a self-deprecating routine, stating: "I've absolutely developed a brilliant strategy for surviving the roundtable by making sure that no one will vote for me ever again. It's called 'being Keir Starmer'."
A Keir Starmer impersonator was booed during the Royal Variety Performance
|GETTY
The character added that he had narrowed down who wanted him gone to "everyone in Britain."
Viewers watching from home rushed to social media to share their astonishment that the moment had made it to air.
One user on X wrote: "#RoyalVarietyPerformance OMG they didn't bleep out the crescendo of boos. Starmer."
Another posted: "Impersonators at the #RoyalVarietyPerformance move to Kier Starmer and there are boos across the audience!"
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Keir Starmer was impersonated during the Royal Variety act
|ITV
A third commented: "Starmer must be in trouble, when even his impersonator get boo'd."
Perhaps most striking was the reaction from someone who had been present at the recording. They wrote: "The Dead Ringers Keir Starmer impersonation, oh my god they kept the booing in. I was there, I've never heard anything like it." (sic)
The Prime Minister himself was not in attendance at the event.
The Prince and Princess of Wales were in attendance, marking their sixth appearance at the showcase following previous visits in 2014, 2017, 2019, 2021, and 2023.
Fans picked up on the fact the Prime Minister's name sparked jeers form the audience
| X / KEIR STARMERManchester comedian Jason Manford served as host, having previously presented the event in 2020 during the pandemic.
The evening featured an array of entertainment, including performances from Westlife, Jessie J, and Madness.
Magician Harry Moulding, who claimed the £250,000 top prize at this year's Britain's Got Talent final, also took to the stage.
Musical theatre was represented by the casts of Paddington The Musical and Just For One Day - The Live Aid Musical.
Comedian Tom Davis appeared alongside Adrian Stoica and his dog, Hurricane, while Stephen Fry delivered a turn as Lady Bracknell.