Kneecap hit out at Keir Starmer over Gaza in new single

By Casey Cooper-Fiske and Gráinne Ní Aodha, PA

Kneecap have hit out at UK prime minister Sir Keir Starmer over his stance towards Gaza in their latest single Liars Tale.

The group said earlier on Wednesday they would release a new album, claiming criticism from the British prime minister was “all the motivation we needed”.

The song focuses on Sir Keir’s stance in relation to Israel’s military offensive in Gaza.

The lyrics state that “you’re not getting away with doing nothing” and “f*** Keir Starmer, Netanyahu’s bitch in genocide armour”.

The music video, which premiered on YouTube on Wednesday, is zombie-apocalypse themed and features a zombie that looks like Margaret Thatcher.

The group, made up of Liam Og O hAnnaidh, Naoise Ó Caireallain and JJ Ó Dochartaigh, will release their second studio album, titled Fenian, on April 24, after they hit the headlines in 2025 when Ó hAnnaidh was charged with a terror offence.

The charge, which was eventually dropped in September last year, alleged that Ó hAnnaidh, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, had displayed a flag in support of Hezbollah, which is proscribed as a terror organisation by the British government, at a gig at the O2 Forum in London in 2024.

Announcing their new record on Instagram, Kneecap said: “They tried to stop us by branding Kneecap ‘terrorists’, with cancellations, with statements from the Prime Minister himself.

“We had all the motivation we needed… this isn’t a swift reaction, but a considered response to those that tried to silence us. And failed.

“Inspired by, and proudly named Fenian, who were warriors in Irish folklore, and later a derogatory term for the Irish.

“Now we’re using it to name everyone speaking truth to power.”