logo
Rod Stewart branded ‘grotesque' amid support for Reform UK

Rod Stewart branded ‘grotesque' amid support for Reform UK

Glasgow Times13 hours ago

In an interview with The Times, Sir Rod showed his support for Reform UK, sharing: 'I've read about (Sir Keir) Starmer cutting off the fishing in Scotland and giving it back to the EU. That hasn't made him popular.
'We're fed up with the Tories. We've got to give Farage a chance. He's coming across well. Nigel? What options have we got?
'Starmer's all about getting us out of Brexit and I don't know how he's going to do that. Still, the country will survive. It could be worse. We could be in the Gaza Strip.'
Sir Rod's comments come ahead of his Glastonbury Legends set on Sunday, June 29 and has sparked debate amongst his fans on social media.
Sir Rod Stewart branded 'grotesque' amid Farage comments
Taking to X, formerly Twitter, one fan of Sir Rod wrote: 'To agree that Farage needs a chance is grotesque.'
Another comment on X read: 'Stupid thing to say' as a third wrote: 'Rod Stewart has come out for Farage? Oh mate.'
One more X user said they disagree with Sir Rod's comments but still respect the singer: 'No not giving Farage a chance, but respect what Rod Stewart has done and his career.'
In the interview with The Times, Sir Rod admitted that his wealth ensures 'a lot of it doesn't really touch me'.
Insisting that he is not out of touch, and expressed his support for Ukraine, criticising US President Donald Trump and Vice-President JD Vance for their treatment of Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky on his visit to the White House, and Gaza.
Recommended Reading
'It's depressing, what's going on in the Gaza Strip,' he said. 'Netanyahu doesn't realise that this is what happened to his people under the Nazis: total annihilation. And Trump is going to turn the Gaza Strip into Miami?'
Stewart said a prolonged bout of flu, which forced him to cancel five shows in the US, nearly forced him to withdraw from a Glastonbury appearance he described to ITV as his 'World Cup final'.
He confirmed he will be joined at Glastonbury by former Faces bandmate Ronnie Wood, Simply Red's Mick Hucknall and Lulu, as well as performing the song Powderfinger by Saturday headliner Neil Young.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Rod Stewart: From busking in the 1960s to starring at Glastonbury
Rod Stewart: From busking in the 1960s to starring at Glastonbury

Leader Live

time13 minutes ago

  • Leader Live

Rod Stewart: From busking in the 1960s to starring at Glastonbury

The 80-year-old will appear at Worthy Farm in the Sunday tea time legends slot, where he is expected to reunite with Faces and Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood. Faces drummer Kenney Jones also hinted to the PA news agency earlier this year that he may join the pair. Faces Beginning from the ashes of the disbanded Small Faces in 1969, Sir Rod and Wood joined up with the broken-up band's keyboard player Ian McLagen, drummer Jones and bass player and singer Ronnie Lane, when Small Faces singer and guitarist Steve Marriott formed Humble Pie. Their first two albums First Step (1970), which still carried the old Small Faces name in the US upon its release, and Long Player (1971) saw limited commercial success, but A Nod Is As Good As A Wink… To A Blind Horse, also released in 1971, sent them to number two in the UK albums chart. The single Stay With Me, taken from the band's third LP, peaked at number six in the UK charts and has gone on to become one of Sir Rod's best-known songs, regularly performed at his concerts. Fourth album Ooh La La (1973) saw lead single Cindy Incidentally reach number two on the UK singles chart, while standalone single Pool Hall Richard also reached the top 10 in the same year. It was followed up with the single You Can Make Me Dance, Sing Or Anything (Even Take The Dog For A Walk, Mend A Fuse, Fold Away The Ironing Board, Or Any Other Domestic Shortcomings), which reached number 12, but would be the last released by the band before they broke-up in 1975. Sir Rod's bandmates also backed him on his solo records released between 1969 and 1974, playing on his earliest number one singles Maggie May and You Wear It Well. Since their break-up, surviving original members Sir Rod, Wood and Jones have reunited to perform on a number of occasions, the most recent coming at the Brit Awards in 2020. The band are strongly rumoured to be releasing a new album next year. Sir Rod's career outside of the band Prior to joining the Faces, Sir Rod started out as a folk singer busking on the streets of London with Wizz Jones and went on to appear in a number of bands during the mid-1960s, before first coming to public attention as the singer in The Jeff Beck Group. The band, formed in 1967 after Beck left The Yardbirds, where he first played with Wood, released the albums Truth and Beck-Ola. While he was in the Faces, the singer sang guest vocals for the Australian group Python Lee Jackson on In A Broken Dream, initially released in 1970. Sir Rod released his first five solo albums while still a member of the Faces, continuing the rock and roll and folk sounds the band explored, before venturing into pop with 1975's Atlantic Crossing. The album featured top 10 singles Sailing and a cover of The Isley Brothers' This Old Heart Of Mine, with the former reaching number one in the UK singles chart. The singer has gone on to release 32 solo studio LPs, producing number ones such as Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?, Baby Jane and the double a-side of I Don't Want To Talk About It and The First Cut Is The Deepest. He most recently released the album Swing Fever with pianist and TV presenter Jools Holland last year, a collection of classic songs from the big band era such as Frankie And Johnny, Good Rockin' Tonight and Pennies From Heaven. What has Sir Rod been doing lately? Ahead of the release of Swing Fever, Sir Rod and Holland made a surprise appearance at St Pancras International station to perform at its piano, and is slated to embark on a tour of 'intimate' venues next year in support of the record. In a statement on Instagram, Sir Rod announced he would end 'large-scale world tours' after 2025, when his US tour ends on August 15 at the Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre in St Louis, Missouri, but ruled out retiring any time soon. On January 10, Sir Rod celebrated his 80th birthday with wife Penny Lancaster, who he married in 2007, and their children. He was recently awarded the lifetime achievement award at the American Music Awards (AMAs), where he was presented with the award by five of his children. What will he play? With Wood and possibly Jones in tow, fans should expect some classic Faces hits such as Stay With Me, Cindy Incidentally and Pool Hall Richard, with the possibility of a few fan favourites such as Too Bad, That's All You Need and Three Button Hand Me Down. It is almost certain that mega hits such as Maggie May, You Wear It Well and Hot Legs will get an airing, however the Faces reunion may ensure Sir Rod sticks to his pre-1975 material. Previous Glastonbury performance Sir Rod previously performed on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury in 2002, where he opened with his cover of Handbags And Gladrags, before going on to delve into the Faces catalogue with Ooh La La and Stay With Me, and perform covers of songs by the likes of Tom Waits, Van Morrison and Tim Hardin. He also played some of his biggest hits, Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?, Baby Jane and Young Turks, before finishing with a singalong performance of Sailing.

Brexit betrayal is driving Tory voters into Farage's arms
Brexit betrayal is driving Tory voters into Farage's arms

Spectator

time22 minutes ago

  • Spectator

Brexit betrayal is driving Tory voters into Farage's arms

Since returning to the political front line during the middle of last year's election campaign, Nigel Farage has enjoyed remarkable success in his stated quest for Reform for replace the Conservatives as the principal party of the right in Britain. The latest British Social Attitudes (BSA) report, published this week, helps explain how and why he is succeeding. Boris Johnson rose to success in 2019 thanks to his ability to appeal to socially conservative Britain. These were the voters that provided the core vote for Leave in 2016 and which now voted to 'get Brexit done'. However, disenchanted with how Brexit has turned out and deeply distrustful of how the country is being governed, over the last twelve months these voters have been flocking to Reform in ever-growing numbers. Leave voters are decidedly unhappy about how Brexit has turned out In 2019, no less than two-thirds (66 per cent) of socially conservative Britons, who, apart from backing Brexit, tend to be concerned about immigration and to take an 'anti-woke' stance on so-called 'culture wars' issues, voted Conservative. Equally, 71 per cent of those who had voted Leave in 2016 were in the Conservative camp then too. But as the party slumped to its worst ever defeat last year, those numbers tumbled. Just 32 per cent of socially conservative Britain voted Conservative, as did just one in three (33 per cent) of those who had voted Leave. Most of this decline was occasioned by voters switching to Reform, who matched the Tories' tally among Leave voters (winning 34 per cent) and almost did so among social conservatives (28 per cent). Since the election, Tory losses among those central to Boris Johnson's election victory have simply continued apace. When respondents to BSA were recontacted in March, Reform, with 37 per cent support, were now clearly ahead among socially conservative voters, while the Conservatives were well behind on just 26 per cent. Indeed, social conservatives were now barely any more likely than those who are neither socially conservative nor liberal to say they would vote Conservative. Meanwhile, support for the Conservatives among Leave voters was now down to just 26 per cent, while Reform, with 45 per cent, was well ahead of all the competition. In contrast, just 5 per cent of Remain supporters were backing Reform. Reform's support is not simply a general protest vote; rather it is very distinctively a cry of disappointment and disenchantment by pro-Brexit Britain. Leave voters are decidedly unhappy about how Brexit has turned out. In the wake of record levels of immigration, no less than 62 per cent feel that immigration has been higher as a result of Brexit, the very opposite of what most of them had anticipated in 2016. Meanwhile, in an era of poor economic performance, 38 per cent have concluded that the economy has been made worse off by Brexit too. For a minority, these perceptions have been accompanied by a change of mind about Brexit. But for others, they have served to undermine their trust and confidence in how Britain is being governed. When it was first delivered, Brexit boosted trust and confidence among Leave voters. For example, in 2020 approaching half (46 per cent) felt that little or no improvement was needed to how Britain was being governed, almost twice the equivalent proportion among Remain supporters (24 per cent). Now, however, only 14 per cent of Leave voters take that view, even lower than the equivalent figure, 19 per cent, among those who backed Remain. And a low level of trust and confidence is a hallmark of Remain voters. In last year's election, just over a quarter (26 per cent) of those who think Britain's system of government is in need of improvement voted Reform, compared with just 5 per cent of those who feel the system needs little or no improvement. The party's name, 'Reform UK', encapsulates well the outlook of many of the party's supporters. Meanwhile, the rise of social media appears to have created something of a breeding ground for Reform support. Even though the party is backed predominantly by older voters, with those who primarily rely on social media to follow the news being predominantly young, support for the party was five points higher last year among social media users than it was among those reliant on other media for their political news. Nigel Farage's TikTok posts are, perhaps, not just reaching out to younger voters after all. In any event, the challenge posed by Reform to the future of the Conservative party is profound. Not only has it lost most of the pro-Brexit vote it won in 2019, but its grip on what has long been the core of its support – those on the right economically rather than culturally – is now under threat too. In our March survey, Reform (on 28 per cent) were only narrowly behind the Conservatives (31 per cent) among this group, something that Ukip never threatened to do. Command of the political right in Britain is up for grabs as never before.

Martin Brundle was shaken up after David Beckham incident next to Lewis Hamilton's car
Martin Brundle was shaken up after David Beckham incident next to Lewis Hamilton's car

Wales Online

timean hour ago

  • Wales Online

Martin Brundle was shaken up after David Beckham incident next to Lewis Hamilton's car

Martin Brundle was shaken up after David Beckham incident next to Lewis Hamilton's car Martin Brundle had to bide his time before finally getting to interview David Beckham on a Formula 1 grid, although he was left wondering if it was worth the hassle Martin Brundle as he finally spoke to David Beckham on one of his grid walks (Image: Sky Sports F1 ) Martin Brundle had a "scary" moment during one of his renowned F1 grid walks as he attempted to land an interview with David Beckham. A stalwart of the motorsport community for over 40 years, Brundle is held in high regard within the industry as both an ex-driver and commentator. Known particularly among the new wave of F1 fans for his pre-race grid walks, Brundle often mingles with celebrities and sports stars before lights out. ‌ Over the years, he's managed to engage with some illustrious figures, although not everyone is eager to be quizzed on the grid, leading to some awkward and, at times, amusing moments. That included Beckham, whom Brundle caught up with at the 2022 Miami Grand Prix. ‌ Brundle was eager to speak to the Manchester United legend - now the co-owner of MLS club Inter Miami - having missed out on a chat with the former England captain at the previous year's Qatar Grand Prix. "I was in Qatar trying to speak to David Beckham and there were two guys man-marking me," Brundle told SPORTbible. "Wherever I went, they were just looking at me. They did not want me to talk to David Beckham on that grid. The World Cup was coming up, wasn't it? That was a little bit scary. Article continues below Beckham was at the Qatar Grand Prix after signing an ambassadorial role with the country (Image: Dan Istitene - Formula 1, Formula 1 via Getty Images ) "They were literally on the grid to stop me. So, I went round the back of [Lewis] Hamilton's car, and they went round the front and kind of just looked at me. That was a little bit odd." On finally catching up with Beckham in Miami, Brundle was left wondering if it was worth the hassle after getting some rather bland answers. Brundle told GQ: "I was pretty determined to speak to him. And then when I did, I thought, 'I don't know why I bothered,' basically. ‌ "I didn't feel good about it, particularly. I don't like bothering people. If they don't want to talk to you, they don't want to talk to you. There are plenty of people who do. "You've got to remember I've been on a F1 grid for 38 years, well over half the life of Formula 1. I've been to well over half of the grands prix in the history of Formula 1, so I feel pretty comfortable in that space. I feel it's my territory." Brundle wondered whether his chat with Beckham worth the hassle (Image: Sky Sports ) Article continues below Brundle has often admitted he isn't a fan of his grid walks, which he undertakes at three out of every four races he works at under the terms of his Sky Sports contract. He told the Telegraph in 2022: 'We get in amongst it. The grid gets very busy. 'There must have been a thousand people on there in Vegas. I can't see anybody half the time, I can't see an F1 car sometimes! 'Because it's a bit edgy - and sometimes we fail miserably - people are living it, whether I'm having a good day or a bad day. I've never watched one in 27 years of doing it because it's not my natural habitat, to run around being cheeky and interrupting people. But it's grown a life of its own.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store