Entertainment
M People ‘livid’ at Liz Truss using Moving On Up at Tory Party conference and urge PM to listen to lyrics: ‘Go and pack your bags and get out’-Emily Bashforth-Entertainment – Metro
‘She won’t be around to use it again for very long, I would imagine.’
The band have spoken out after the PM walked on stage to their tune (Picture: Patrick Ford/Redferns)
The founder of M People has said the band are ‘livid’ after their song was used at the Conservative Party conference.
Mike Pickering has spoken out after Prime Minister Liz Truss walked on stage to their 1990s hit, Moving On Up, ahead of delivering her keynote speech.
The dance anthem, which was released by the Manchester-based band in 1993, peaked at number two on the UK singles chart and features vocalist Heather Small.
Expressing his outrage, Pickering said: ‘They (the band) are livid. Heather’s boy James is a Labour councillor. Hopefully most people will know that they have pirated it off us.’
He added to the PA news agency, with little faith in the current leader: ‘She won’t be around to use it again for very long, I would imagine.’
Pickering continued: ‘I am absolutely gutted by it because they are killing the live touring of bands and artists. I am Mancunian and getting from Manchester to London these days is harder than getting on to continental Europe.’
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The music star said the band had contacted their lawyers about the use of the song at the conference, but said they have been advised there was little that could be done.
He said: ‘The rest of the band have rung me, “For God’s sake, how can we stop it?”
‘And we just rang the lawyers and they went, “You can’t actually stop it. We can send a letter to cease and desist but you can’t do it”.’
Their lawyers allegedly told them that ‘they can play what they like,’ which Pickering thought was ‘a bit weird.’
M People’s lawyers said there isn’t much they can do (Picture: Nicky J. Sims/Redferns)
Singer Heather Small has been vocal about her views against the Tories in the past (Picture: Lorne Thomson/Redferns)
Despite being ‘livid,’ Pickering made room for a sly dig in his comments, as he noted the lyrics in the song selected by the PM.
‘I was just looking at the lyrics. It’s amazing. I hope she takes note. It’s about, “Go and pack your bags and get out.”
Ms Truss entered to the track’s famous chorus, ‘Movin’ on up, nothin’ can stop me. Movin’ on up, you’re movin’ on out. Time to break free, nothing can stop me.’
Meanwhile, the opening lyrics of the empowerment anthem read: ‘You’ve done me wrong, your time is up’, with the last line of the first verse saying: ‘Move right out of here, baby, go on pack your bags.’
The son of the group’s lead singer Small, James Small-Edwards, was elected as a Labour councillor for Bayswater, west London, in May, and he too had a cheeky remark following Ms Truss’s entrance.
‘An apt choice! This tired and out of touch Tory Government is indeed moving on out,’ he tweeted.
Prime Minister Ms Truss walked out to the chorus of the hit 90s song (Picture: Reuters)
Small has also previously shown her support for refugee charity Care 4 Calais’s #StopRwanda campaign.
This isn’t the first time an artist has hit out after the Tories used their song at an event.
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Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson previously used Friendly Fires’ track Blue Cassette as he walked out for the party conference last year.
The indie band later hit out at the then-leader, saying their ‘permission was not sought’ to use the song..
They said they had asked their management to ensure it was not to be used again by the party.
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