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28th Oct 2022

Downing Street denies using Gary Glitter song for Rishi Sunak campaign video

Hugh Carr

rishi sunak gary glitter

It does sound incredibly similar, in fairness…

There’s an old saying in Irish; Tús maith leath na hoibre.

A good start is half the work done, which means if you get off on a good foot, the rest of your job should be easier.

The new Prime Minister of England, Rishi Sunak, will have wished he had heard that one before posting a video of his first 48 hours in office.

Downing Street has been forced to deny that the song used in the campaign video was “Rock And Roll” by Gary Glitter.

Glitter is currently serving a prison sentence after being convicted of one count of attempted rape, four counts of indecent assault, and one of having sex with a girl under the age of 13.

The video from the official 10 Downing Street social media channels features a drum beat which bears a striking resemblance to the one used in the 1972 hit.

“I’ve been reliably informed it’s stock music,” a Downing Street spokesperson said.

“It is certainly not Gary Glitter.”

The song recently re-entered the public eye as it was featured in 2019’s “Joker”, with Joaquin Phoenix’s take on the villain dancing down the stairs to the song.

Rishi Sunak became the next Prime Minister after rival Penny Mordaunt failed to secure enough backing from Tory MPs.

The former Chancellor, who lost out to Liz Truss in the leadership contest just a couple of months ago, has managed to secure the backing of more than half the party’s MPs.

Boris Johnson was in line to re-apply for the role of party leader, but pulled out of the race.

In a statement, he said that despite having the backing of the MPs required to run, he had come to the conclusion that “this would simply not be the right thing to do” as “you can’t govern effectively unless you have a united party in Parliament”.

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