8 hours ago
I'm not bothered by Elton John calling me a moron, says Peter Kyle
When Sir Elton John called Peter Kyle a 'bit of a moron' on national television, it marked the nadir of relations between the technology secretary and creative sector.
The two sides had been battling it out over the government's proposals to change copyright law.
For Kyle, who has acute dyslexia, it was not the first time the epithet had been thrown at him. 'The first person I ever recall calling me that word 'moron' was a teacher, and that was in front of schoolkids. So I wouldn't say it hurt, but it was very humiliating,' the science, innovation and technology secretary said in an interview with The Times.
Of John's insult, made on the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, he said: 'My brother thought it was the funniest thing he'd ever heard. My nieces thought it was the best thing they'd ever heard, because the thought of Elton John even talking about a family member … But with me, I wasn't upset or hurt or irritated by it.
