Sir Keir Starmer has found himself at the center of online jests, as a new AI-generated video humorously portrays him alongside Morgan McSweeney, clutching a plank of wood, as if survivors of the Titanic disaster. The video is the latest creation by pranksters taking aim at the Labour leader amidst a turbulent period for his government.
The satire comes on the heels of McSweeney’s resignation, which he announced on Sunday. McSweeney stepped down from his role as the Prime Minister’s chief of staff, a move that follows the ongoing fallout from the Peter Mandelson scandal. His departure marks a significant setback for Starmer, who has been grappling with the greatest challenge of his tenure due to revelations concerning Mandelson’s connections with Jeffrey Epstein.
In his resignation statement, McSweeney expressed regret over his support for Mandelson as Britain’s ambassador to the United States, conceding that it was a misjudgment. This apology came at a critical juncture for Sir Keir, as he attempts to navigate his administration through these choppy waters.
While Starmer works to stabilize the situation, the Crewkerne Gazette spoof site has seized the moment to lampoon the political drama. Known for their previous satirical takes on figures such as Angela Rayner, Rachel Reeves, and David Lammy, the creators have now turned their comedic lens on McSweeney.
But while Starmer bids to restore order in his government, the Crewkerne Gazette spoof site has been making light of the situation.
Having released videos mocking Angela Rayner, Rachel Reeves and David Lammy in the past, this time the duo behind the enterprise have turned their attention to McSweeney.
Their latest AI sketch posted to X shows Starmer and his former chief of staff clinging on to a door in the frosty waters of the Atlantic in the wake of the Titanic’s crash.
The Prime Minister, lying on the piece of wood, tells McSweeney: ‘The Labour Party has decided it was actually you who lost the keys to the binocular cabinet, Morgan.’
Sir Keir Starmer has been mocked by online pranksters in a new AI video posted to X by the Crewkerne Gazette
The video shows Starmer and his former chief of staff Morgan McSweeney clinging on to a door in the frosty waters of the Atlantic in the wake of the Titanic’s crash
Later, Lord Mandelson is depicted as the ice berg amid the scandal which saw him sacked from government last week
Famously, the original second officer of the Titanic, David Blair, accidentally kept the key to the ship’s binocular cabinet in his pocket when he was reassigned on a different voyage in April 1912. It meant the boat’s lookouts were unable to spot the ice berg which eventually caused the collision.
In the video, McSweeney pleads: ‘That’s not true Keir, you know that,’ before the PM hilariously admits: ‘Perhaps, but that doesn’t matter now. We’ll re-write the history books.’
McSweeney then plunges into the depths of the ocean as the camera pans away to Starmer’s right, where Lord Mandelson’s face is shone on to the iceberg.
The clip comes just a few days after Mandelson starred in another classic from the Crewkerne Gazette.
The video featured a mock-up of Sir Keir sitting at a piano singing a rewrite of the ballad that was a US number one for Manilow in 1974, hitting number 11 in the UK.
Mandelson is clad in a red gown, before the pair are shown in follow-up scenes including frolicking on a hill and riding a horse.
Lyrics include a new version of the chorus, saying: ‘Oh, Mandy – well, you came and you lied without breaking, but I sent you away.
‘Oh, Mandy – well, you leaked to Jeff and stopped me from shaking, and I need you today – oh, Mandy.’
McSweeney resigned as the Prime Minister’s chief of staff on Sunday as the Labour government continues to reel from the Peter Mandelson scandal (the duo pictured together in May 2025)
Mandelson was sacked as Britain’s ambassador to the US amid revelations about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein
Verses have such lines as ‘The night goes into morning, just another day – Tories grilling my way’ and ‘I’m standing on the edge of resign – I walked away when spin was mine’.
The Gazette describes itself as ‘the sharp end of Somerset – a politically incorrect, AI-fuelled, chaos-driven newcomer, where truth and satire dance together, like drunks at The White Hart’.
That refers to a pub in Crewkerne, with the site set up by two friends in their 30s who met at Yeovil College as teenagers.
They have dubbed themselves ‘shadow creators, working mostly behind the curtain’, insisting on anonymity for security purposes.
After McSweeney’s exit from the Labour government, Sir Keir has now lost two chiefs of staff during his time in Downing Street, following the acrimonious exit of Sue Gray in October 2024.
The loss of Mr McSweeney, who was the architect of Sir Keir’s general election victory, is a further shattering blow to the PM’s increasingly fragile grip on power.
Mr McSweeney played a key role in Sir Keir’s success in taking Labour from opposition to government after he replaced Jeremy Corbyn as leader in April 2020.
The PM paid tribute to Mr McSweeney on Sunday for having ‘turned our party around’ and said he owned his outgoing aide ‘a debt of gratitude’.
‘It’s been an honour working with Morgan McSweeney for many years,’ he said.
‘He turned our party around after one of its worst ever defeats and played a central role running our election campaign.
‘It is largely thanks to his dedication, loyalty and leadership that we won a landslide majority and have the chance to change the country.
‘Having worked closely with Morgan in opposition and in Government, I have seen every day his commitment to the Labour Party and to our country.
‘Our party and I owe him a debt of gratitude, and I thank him for his service.’
Mr McSweeney’s resignation will be seen as a desperate bid by Sir Keir to keep himself in power, with Angela Rayner – the former deputy PM – said to be on leadership ‘manoeuvres’.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting, Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, Armed Forces minister Al Carns and Labour deputy leader Lucy Powell are also seen as possible replacements for Sir Keir.
But Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham now appears to have only a slim prospect of fulfilling his leadership ambitions, after he was blocked from standing in the Gorton and Denton by-election by Sir Keir’s allies.
