Liz Truss walked on to M People at the Conservative Party Conference. (Getty)
M People founder Mike Pickering has criticised Liz Truss for walking out to their music at the Conservative Party conference.
The prime minister walked onstage to the band’s 1993 song Moving On Up as she prepared to deliver her conference speech in Birmingham on Wednesday (5 October).
After hearing that the song was used, Pickering tweeted saying: “So apparently we can’t stop Truss walking out to our song, very weird!
“So sad it got used by this shower of a government,” he continued. “[By the way] Truss, Labour used it with permission in the ’90s. I don’t want my song being a soundtrack to lies.”
So apparently we can’t stop Truss walking out to our song, very weird! So sad it got used by this shower of a government. BTW Truss labour used it with permission in 90’s. I don’t want my song being a soundtrack to lies.
— Michael Pickering (@themike_p) October 5, 2022
Fans of the electronic R&B group were also miffed at the song’s usage while also pointing out the irony of using a song that has the lyrics “move right outta here baby, go on pack your bags!”
“She’s practically begging you to release an anti-Truss single,” one user replied, while another said: “Sad, but we can all play it as Truss leaves [Number 10].”
Others noted that the lead singer of M People, Heather Small, has a son that became a Labour councillor in May 2022.
James Small-Edwards became a member of the City of Westminster council after claiming victory in the Bayswater ward during the local elections.
The 25-year-old tweeted on Wednesday that the song was an “apt choice” and added: “This tired and out of touch Tory government is indeed moving on out.”
Speaking to The Scotsman, Pickering clarified that the band members “are livid” and that they hope “most people will know that they have pirated it off [of] us”.
He added that the group were confused by the song choice, saying: “I hope she takes note. It’s about, ‘Go and pack your bags and get out’.
“No one said to them, ‘Tony Blair and New Labour used that song all the time’ or ‘Heather’s son is a Labour councillor’,” he continued. “I don’t know why they have used it.”
Truss is confident in her economic policies despite chaos
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But few were ready to agree after the chaos that Kwasi Kwarteng’s mini-budget had brought to the UK economy, bringing the Great British Pound to an all-time low against the American dollar.