Starmer apologises for leading pupils in 6-7 dance

The Prime Minister has apologized to his school principal after leading primary school children in a version of the viral 6-7 dance meme.

Sir Keir Starmer visited Welland Academy in Peterborough on Monday with Education Minister Bridget Phillipson to support the expansion of the free school meals programme.

During the visit Sir Keir was reading with students and someone pointed out they were on page 67. The Prime Minister made the juggling hand gesture that accompanied the reference, prompting class-wide laughter.

“You know the kids are getting in trouble for saying it’s our school,” a teacher told him later. “We haven’t overcome 6-7 yet, it’s still an important issue.”

As he left the room, Sir Keir told headteacher Jo Anderson that the situation in the classroom was “a bit crazy”, but he was told dancing was banned in the school.

He later apologized to the head and insisted: “I didn’t start it, Miss.”

The Prime Minister uploaded a video of his antics to Instagram and said: “I think I’ve got myself detained…”

First gaining popularity with Generation Alpha, the phrase “67” has become a viral internet sensation and was even named Dictionary.com’s Word of the Year 2025.

The catchy phrase and accompanying dance has taken over classrooms across the UK, to the surprise and discomfort of some parents and teachers.

According to Dictonary.com, this expression is thought to originate from the song Doot Doot (67) by US rapper Skrilla.

The song went viral on TikTok and other social media videos to describe the height of basketball players.

Earlier this year, young Maverick Trevillian became known as the “6-7” kid after a viral video showed him shouting the phrase while gesticulating at a basketball game.

The video on YouTube has been viewed more than 7.7 million times.

Its actual meaning is unclear, but some say it means “like that” or “maybe that, maybe.”