Chris Middleton, a freelance journalist for BBC Newcastle, says his job was axed after he released a parody song criticising Sir Keir Starmer. The satirical track, Freezing This Christmas, pokes fun at Labour’s decision to cut winter fuel payments, but Middleton claims the BBC saw it as a “conflict of interest” with their impartiality rules.
The Christmas Song That Cost a Career
Middleton, who had worked with the BBC for six years, revealed he came clean to his bosses about being behind the festive protest song. Their response? A blunt dismissal. “I was told, ‘You can’t work here anymore,’” he shared during an interview with GB News.
The track, performed under the alias Sir Starmer and the Granny Harmers, reimagines Mud’s 1974 Christmas classic Lonely This Christmas. Its lyrics take sharp aim at Starmer, featuring lines like:
“It’ll be freezing this Christmas, without fuel at home,
It’ll be freezing this Christmas, while Keir Starmer is warm.”
While the song’s primary aim was to raise money for Age UK, its political sting proved too much for the BBC’s impartiality guidelines.
The £50,000 Question: Was It Worth It?
Middleton admits he wrestled with the decision to go public. Staying anonymous might have spared his job, but it could also have limited the song’s impact. Ultimately, he decided the cause was worth the risk.
“Do I stay anonymous and hope the song does okay? Or do I reveal myself, push it harder, and raise more for the charity, knowing it could cost me my job? I chose the latter,” he said.
The gamble paid off in one sense—the track raised over £50,000 for Age UK and climbed the UK charts.
Hypocrisy, According to Middleton
Middleton says he was inspired to write the song after hearing pensioners’ struggles to heat their homes. He accused Starmer of hypocrisy, pointing out that Labour had criticised the Conservatives for similar cuts in the past.
“The changes to winter fuel allowances weren’t in Labour’s manifesto, so pensioners didn’t see it coming,” he explained. “Looking back at old clips where Starmer condemned the Tories for scrapping allowances, it’s hard to ignore the double standards.”
BBC Plays It Cool
When approached for comment, the BBC declined to address Middleton’s claims, sticking to their usual Christmas tradition of staying quiet under the mistletoe of controversy.
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