Kier Starmer snubbed by band behind ’97 Labour anthem | Politics | News | EUROtoday

The band behind New Labour’s 1997 victory track has admitted it might snub a request from Sir Keir Starmer for permission to make use of one other observe.

D:Ream’s founding members Alan Mackenzie and Peter Cunnah stated they had been dismayed once they heard “Things Could Only Get Better” behind Rishi Sunak’s election announcement.

They revealed their first thought was: “Not again”.

Speaking from his recording studio at house in Donegal, Mr Cunnah stated: “The fact that it’s gone back to a political thing, I find disturbing. I was thinking, can we get on with our lives? But now it’s come back.

“You question, are we just some sort of protest song on a speaker down at the end of a street? It’s like some very odd piece of gravity that you just can’t escape.”

The band has expressed remorse at letting Tony Blair use the observe in 1997, saying they had been accused of “having blood on their hands” after the UK acquired concerned with the warfare in Iraq.

Mr Cunnah stated: “I remember clearly, there was this wonderful sea change, and the nation had this feeling that there was a need for change.

“Everyone was really behind it and giving Labour the benefit of the doubt. But after the war, I became politically homeless.”

His bandmate, Al Mackenzie, who spoke from his house within the Midlands, additionally added: “I don’t think politics and music should be linked.

“It’s happened to a lot of other bands as well in America and here because songs get sort of intrinsically linked to something, it can really affect it in a negative way.

“I mean, I’ll be voting to get the Tories out, but I don’t really want the song to be linked to that.”

When requested what they’d say if they’d been approached by Sir Keir Starmer with a request to make use of considered one of their songs, stated: “There’s no way – our songs and politics, never again.”

Speaking to LBC, Mr Cunnah stated: “I’ve learned the hard way. No, no, no,” including, “this is a change of guard, I don’t see this as an election. It’s just a change of guard, someone handing the baton on.

“I can see they’re going to stay in Ukraine, they’re going to feed weapons and arms to Israel. It’s disgusting.

Referring to ‘Things Can Only Get Better’ drowning out Rishi Sunak’s election announcement last week, he said: “Obviously doing that was, for most people, a funny move.

“But for me, the whole world turned up again, everyone was ringing on the phone promising me the earth again like it’s 1997. I’m too long in the tooth to get pulled into that, you know.”

The protester who performed Things Can Only Get Better throughout Rishi Sunak’s election speech stated he selected the New Labour tune as a result of it was the “top trolling song for the Conservatives”.

Anti-Brexit campaigner Steve Bray stated he chosen the D:Ream track for its affiliation with the Tory landslide defeat within the 1997 common election relatively than as a present of help for Labour within the upcoming marketing campaign.

He added that his protest exterior Downing Street was paused when his two amplifiers grew to become soaked and stopped working throughout heavy rain in Westminster.