Leo Varadkar says Keir Starmer should not 'try to censor' Kneecap
Former taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said politicians should not try to censor artists after UK prime minister Keir Starmer said Kneecap's Glastonbury inclusion was "inappropriate".
The Belfast rap trio are scheduled to perform on Saturday at 4pm.
Advertisement
Kneecap member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh appeared in court on Wednesday charged, under UK anti-terrorism legislation, with showing support for a proscribed organisation.
The performer, known as Mo Chara, allegedly draped himself in a Hezbollah flag at a London gig last November and shouted 'up Hamas, up Hezbollah', referring to the Palestinian and Lebanese militant groups respectively.
In an interview with The Sun,
Mr Starmer
was asked if he thought the trio should perform at Glastonbury, to which he replied: 'No, I don't, and I think we need to come down really clearly on this.
'This is about the threats that shouldn't be made, I won't say too much because there's a court case on, but I don't think that's appropriate.'
Advertisement
It comes after Conservative Party leader
Kemi Badenoch
said she thought the BBC 'should not be showing' Kneecap's performance at the festival next week.
Ireland
United Ireland should be new state that 'can be be...
Read More
In response, Kneecap posted a screenshot of the interview with the UK prime minister on their Instagram, adding
'arming a fu*king genocide' was what's 'not appropriate'.
In a reply under the post, Mr Varadkar said he initially thought Mr Starmer's comments were "a gag".
'[I] no longer hold office nor have any mandate so my views don't count for so much anymore. I get that. But I really thought this was some sort of gag. It's the role of artists to be avant garde, inappropriate, challenging, disruptive - from James Joyce to Sex Pistols and Playboy.
'Politicians really should not try to censor this. If an offence was committed, let the courts decide. In the meantime, the rule of law says the accused is innocent until proven guilty.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
Bank of England's Bailey defends bond programme after Reform UK criticism
LONDON, June 23 (Reuters) - Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey defended the central bank's programme of government bond purchases and sales which has come under fire from some politicians for its cost. In a letter to Richard Tice, deputy leader of the Reform UK party which is led by former Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage, Bailey said claims that the programme was more expensive than those run by other central banks did not tell the full story. Britain's government issued more long-term debt than other countries at a time when the BoE's bond-buying - or quantitative easing - was keeping borrowing costs low, giving the country a longer-lasting benefit, Bailey said. "Put simply, the cash flow cost of QE/QT is not therefore what it seems, and the outcome in these terms will be better," he said in the letter published on Monday. Reform - which is leading Britain's more established political parties in opinion polls - has said the government could save as much as 40 billion pounds ($53.6 billion) a year by stopping payment of interest to banks on reserves held at the BoE. Most of those reserves were created as a byproduct of the central bank's bond purchases which began in 2009 and reached a peak of almost 900 billion pounds in holdings in 2021. Since then, the BoE has sold much of its bond portfolio - known as quantitative tightening - and the programme is due to incur losses for the public finances because of a rise in interest rates and a subsequent fall in the value of the bonds. In his letter, Bailey said the bond purchases shielded Britain's economy from a string of economic shocks over the past 16 years. "It is easy to forget the severe problems we faced with these shocks," he said. "Although the counterfactual is unknowable with any precision, most estimates indicate that QE provided very significant support to the UK economy, protecting both jobs and tax revenues." Bailey said that ceasing paying interest on reserves was tantamount to increasing taxes on banks and would lead to lower interest payments for savers or higher interest rates for borrowers. He also disputed Reform's view that British banks were making excess profits. "Interest paid on reserves is not free money for the banks, not least as most of it is paid on to customers in the form of interest on their deposits," Bailey said.
Powys County Times
an hour ago
- Powys County Times
British Business Bank invests in entrepreneurs in £6.6bn funding commitment
The British Business Bank is to hand major investment to UK entrepreneurs as part of a £6.6 billion commitment to support innovation and industry. The UK Government's development bank has revealed the investment plans as part of Sir Keir Starmer's 10-year industrial strategy announcement. On Monday, the Prime Minister said he will cut electricity costs for thousands of businesses as part of the strategy, in a bid to help accelerate economic growth. The British Business Bank has seen its total financial capacity grow to £25.6 billion since the most recent spending review. 🆕 The Government has confirmed £6.6bn of new capital for the British Business Bank to boost growth. A new £4bn initiative, British Business Bank Industrial Strategy Growth Capital, will be invested across eight growth-driving sectors. Read more: — British Business Bank (@BritishBBank) June 23, 2025 It has said its latest £6.6 billion investment commitment will particularly help the rapid growth of small business across the UK. The Government said £4 billion will be invested through the new Industrial Strategy Growth Capital initiative, focusing on eight target sectors including advanced manufacturing, clean energy, digital, and life sciences. A further £2.6 billion will be aimed at supporting entrepreneurs across the UK, providing funds to help address regional funding gaps. Louis Taylor, chief executive of the British Business Bank, said: 'We welcome today's announcement by the secretary of state to deliver British Business Bank industrial strategy growth capital, as well as the reforms to the Bank's governance and financial framework. 'Using our market expertise and reach, we have a critical role to play in supporting smaller businesses in the eight growth-driving sectors to grow and stay in the UK. 'To deliver the Government's growth mission it is also critical that our most promising entrepreneurs can access the finance they need to grow their businesses, no matter what their background or where they are located across the nations and regions of the UK.'
BreakingNews.ie
an hour ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Danny Dyer ‘never felt nerves' like it on daughter's wedding day
Actor Danny Dyer said he had 'never felt nerves' like those he experienced when he gave his daughter away as she married West Ham player Jarrod Bowen. Love Island star Dani Dyer wed sportsman Bowen last month. Advertisement Discussing the ceremony on their podcast, Live And Let Dyers, Dani said the day left her feeling so emotional she 'couldn't talk about it'. Her father, former EastEnders actor Dyer, said of the moment he walked her down the aisle: 'My heart was beating through my f***ing chest. 'I've done a lot of heavy s***. You know, I've done a lot of theatre and the awards things and everything like that, and there's a little bit of nerves, but I've never felt nerves like that. You know, just hanging on for dear life!' Dyer, who has recently been filming the second series of hit drama Rivals, said he felt 'choked up' at seeing the happy couple together. Advertisement He went on: 'I needed just to contain myself. Because obviously it's a huge day for everyone in your family, but particularly the tradition of marriages – it's your father giving away your daughter, you know?' The pair also joked about how Bowen's nerves meant he got his bride's name mixed up during the vows. 'He f***ed your name up a few times,' Dyer told the podcast. 'Obviously it's Dani Charlotte Dyer, then he called me Charlotte, didn't he?' Dani added. Advertisement 'We had to start it again! It was so funny!' Live And Let Dyers is available to listen to now on Global Player, or wherever you get your podcasts.
