
Elton John: Labour are ‘absolute losers'
From Runcorn to Durham, Labour is losing their core vote everywhere. Now, even the luvvies are turning on them. It was less than a year ago that Elton John headlined a celebrity rally, held in the final week of the general election campaign. 'Let's get behind Labour to win on July 4!' the singer declared. But, nine months on, it seems that the Tiny Dancer star has now changed his tune…
Appearing on the BBC's flagship politics show this morning, John launched a savage attack at ministers over its plans to regulate AI. Describing the government as 'absolute losers', he said he felt 'incredibly betrayed' over plans to exempt technology firms from copyright laws. He told Laura Kuenssberg that if Peter Kyle, the Science Secretary, goes ahead with plans to allow AI firms to use artists' content without paying then he would be enabling 'theft, thievery on a high scale.'
It comes after ministers this week rejected an amendment to the Data Bill to force companies to notify copyright holders if their work is used to train generative AI models.

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Daily Mirror
33 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
'Donald Trump is the deranged Dr Strangelove and is not to be trusted'
Warmonger Donald Trump blowing up talks between Britain, France and Germany with his Iran attack is the deranged Dr Strangelove in the White House demonstrating he is not to be trusted. Not just because he was elected vowing to keep the US out of military conflicts, although that broken promise is fuelling his oddball Maga alliance back home. Impulsive, reckless Trump is untrustworthy because one, there is no crisis he cannot make worse and, two, this toddler man President doesn't give a fig for the views and values of America's traditional allies in Europe and Nato. Flannel from Israel 's out of control Benjamin Netanyahu, a hawk on whose watch the horrific Hamas pogrom occurred and bloody Palestinian ethnic cleansing has been pursued, unintentionally confirms Trump made the wrong call. No wonder UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres branded the strikes a 'dangerous escalation' and 'direct threat to international peace'. Mercifully, the International Atomic Energy Agency detected 'no increase in off-site radiation levels' after stressing it had no evidence Iran was developing nuclear missiles. To be against military attacks on Iran is not to endorse a tyrannical regime, just as decrying the Iraq invasion was never a sympathy vote for Saddam Hussein. The issue is how to achieve a better, safer world – and Keir Starmer must keep Britain distant from such aggressors or he will trigger a blowback that could collapse his own regime. Sunderland, back in the Premier League, once conceded three own goals in seven first-half minutes against Charlton in a 3-1 home defeat to go bottom and be relegated from the top flight at the end of the season. Keir Starmer loves his football too and texted congratulations when the Mackems won promotion to the Championship three years ago, yet the Arsenal fan now in No.10 risks emulating Sunderland's 2003 fate unless he stops Labour 's own goals. Disability benefit cuts is the latest of these. Scores of unhappy MPs are threatening to abstain or rebel amid talk of as many as a dozen parliamentary aides and ministers contemplating resigning from Starmer's government. They would be following former Shadow Disabled People Minister Vicky Foxcroft in doing so. She is a politician who overcame childhood sexual and domestic abuse to champion others and so could not stand such callous cuts. Labour MPs busily writing report cards for constituents have a lot to boast about ahead of July 4's anniversary of independence from the Tories. NHS revitalisation, rising living standards, higher minimum wage, vastly improved job rights, housebuilding, rail renationalisation, a secure and renewable energy drive, trade deals, beginning to get to grips with migration and asylum, more grafters in employment and four interest rate cuts are Labour payback. I would not include squandering extra cash on defence when we already spend more than most but nearly all Labour MPs probably will. Yet scything benefits such as axing the Winter Fuel Allowance for millions, before reinstating that for the majority of pensioners, is another avoidable own goal. It's what Louise Haigh, unfairly derailed as Transport Secretary, called unpopular decisions overshadowing the good. Even George Osborne, an austerity Conservative Chancellor who imposed deeper and nastier welfare cuts, recognises they will look much less fair should current incumbent Rachel Reeves ease taxes on wealthy tycoons bleating they will quit Britain. There is no sign of Starmer repeating the winter fuel U-turn on benefits and unless he does, the winners from it will be Nigel Farage, Kemi Badenoch and Ed Davey. Putting the ball in Labour's net instead of scoring against Reform, the Conservatives and Lib Dems invites a fate I endured Sunderland suffering. The misnamed Reform-linked think-tank Centre for a Better Britain putting out feelers to Tory right-whinger Robert Jenrick is further evidence that Nigel Farage and prominent Conservatives are peas from the same political pod. Thatcherite Farage is a former Tory member with so many 'second' jobs he's Parliament's worst moonlighter. He is a City slicker peddling policies – NHS, tax, steel nationalisation – he doesn't believe in and would never implement to trick working people into making him the PM. He'll do a dirty deal with the Tories if it's in his best interests. And then like Brexit, he'd kick supporters in the wallets. Vote Reform, get conned again. Follow our Mirror Politics account on Bluesky here. And follow our Mirror Politics team here - Lizzy Buchan, Mikey Smith, Kevin Maguire, Sophie Huskisson, Dave Burke and Ashley Cowburn. Be first to get the biggest bombshells and breaking news by joining our Politics WhatsApp group here. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you want to leave our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Or sign up here to the Mirror's Politics newsletter for all the best exclusives and opinions straight to your inbox. And listen to our exciting new political podcast The Division Bell, hosted by the Mirror and the Express every Thursday.


Edinburgh Live
41 minutes ago
- Edinburgh Live
Strictly judge Anton du Beke tells wife to 'grow up' over 'extraordinary' issue
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Anton Du Beke has candidly shared that he once told his wife to "grow up" after she confessed her difficulty with a task many find simple. Chatting on the My Time Capsule podcast, the 58-year-old Strictly Come Dancing judge disclosed one of his biggest gripes, which centres around how people use their mobile phones. The ballroom dancing star is not at all impressed by folks who use their phone's loudspeaker in public places. He quipped that "everyone's got an earphone" and humorously noted that it's possible to "actually hold these things up to your ear". This led to a broader discussion about contemporary mobile phone habits. Anton observed that nowadays, people no longer "like to pick the phone up", something his own wife, Hannah Summers, also tends to avoid. Anton recounted: "Young people will be going, 'Phone calls? What's he talking about? We just text and email and WhatsApp. We never actually answer the phone. Are you mad?'" (Image: Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) He went on to say: "That's the new thing as well. People don't like to pick the phone up. I find that extraordinary. My wife is the same, though, really. She goes, 'Oh, I don't really like speaking on the phone'. "I just go, 'Grow up, I said. Grow up. Sort yourself out. What are you talking about?'I don't like talking on the phone'." Anton and Hannah, who tied the knot in 2017, first crossed paths at a golf club back in 2011. The couple resides in Buckinghamshire with their twins, George and Henrietta. In a bit of telly gossip, Anton, a stalwart of the BBC's 'Strictly Come Dancing' since its 2004 debut, offered a glimpse into his family life, revealing that his children "burst into tears" upon seeing him on TV for the first time. He kicked off his Strictly journey as a professional dancer and once ranked 14th globally in ballroom dancing with his partner Erin Boag. In a twist of fate, 2021 saw him hang up his dancing shoes to take up the mantle of judge, stepping in for 'Britain's Got Talent' sensation Bruno Tonioli. (Image: Getty Images for Paramount Pictu) During a chat on BBC Radio 2, he shared: "It's huge. It is wonderful. The first time my children, when they were very little, they saw me dancing on television and I was in the living room, and they saw me dancing on television and they burst into tears." Anton said they "couldn't quite grasp the concept" of him being at home and on the television, as well as "this other woman in Daddy's arms", adding that the show is a "massive part of the family". On another note, Anton once confessed to making a rather "terrible" initial impression on his now-wife. Recounting the tale on the 'White Wine Question Time' podcast, host Kate Thornton quizzed him about his early attempts to woo Hannah. Kate recounted: "Apparently the first thing she said to you was weirdo. Because you were hanging around outside a toilet at a golf club event to try and catch her eye, she thought you were odd." He responded that she did something "that you girls tend to do", saying that she "didn't look at me but looked at me". Anton went on to say she "did that thing with the hair around the ears".


Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Revealed: Steve Rider's 20-year grudge with Gary Lineker after ex-Match of the Day host 'took his job' - as iconic broadcaster sends parting shot following retirement
Broadcasting great Steve Rider has sensationally claimed that former Match of the Day host Gary Lineker 'took his job'. Rider's 48-year-career in the industry came to an end on Sunday as he was part of ITV4's presentation team for the British Touring Car Championship at Oulton Park. He became a familiar face on British TV screens after becoming a regular presenter on BBC 's Grandstand. Rider also led coverage for rugby, golf, motorsports and rowing events for the BBC, along with Sports Personality of the Year. He then left the BBC in 2005 to join ITV, where he became the anchor of their F1 and World Cup coverage. Now his feud with ex-Match of the Day anchor Lineker, which stretches back two decades, can be revealed. When he returned to ITV in 2005, Rider was said to be unimpressed by the BBC's decision to replace him as its leading golf presenter with Gary Lineker. Speaking to The Telegraph, he said: 'Most other observers knew that Gary was the wrong man in the wrong job.' Rider also expressed surprise at Lineker's zeal to become involved with politics while working for the organisation. He added: 'To put forward his opinions so energetically, you need to step outside the framework of the BBC. 'That message was never convincingly conveyed to him by the BBC, and that's where they are at fault. 'He needed people looking after him before he pressed the button on some fairly volatile retweets. He needed to be saved from himself. So, there was a kind of inevitability about it.' Those comments come a decade after he described the R&A - golf's governing body - of being 'pompous' and acting as though they were 'superior beings'. Further scathing comments to The Golf Paper in 2015 saw him state: 'For four years, the R&A and most other observers knew that Gary was the wrong man in the wrong job. Hazel Irvine has just delivered once again at the Open presentation skills of the highest quality. 'Not many people can do that and Gary certainly came up short. 'Roger Mosey, the head of sport, knew Gary was a golf fanatic and was further encouraged by Gary apparently volunteering for the Masters vacancy within a few minutes of my exit from Television Centre. 'But if Mosey thought long and hard before offering Gary the golf job, it's even more baffling. Match of the Day is scripted and rehearsed.