As the race to become the next leader of the Conservative Party and UK Prime Minister heats up, some celebrities are coming out in support of candidates Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak.
Former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell has upset a number of fans after posing for a photo with Tory MP Nadine Dorries at the Women’s Euro 2022 final.
While most musicians tend to err on the left of the political spectrum, there are a few notable exceptions.
The Independent has collated a list of performers who have appeared to give the Conservatives their seal of approval over the years.
Geri Halliwell
The former Spice Girl apparently told Liz Truss to “go for” the Tory leadership election, amid the backlash she received for posing with Dorries. While Halliwell’s photos upset many fans, a number said that they were “not surprised”, as the singer had previously described Margaret Thatcher as the “original Spice Girl”.
In 2010, Take That star Gary Barlow came out in support of David Cameron’s campaign for prime minister. The singer appeared at a school-staged campaign event to endorse Cameron’s “School Stars” scheme to encourage musical achievement in education. Asked if he’d be voting Tory in the general election that year, Barlow replied curtly: “I would not be here if I was not.”
Tony Hadley
Spandau Ballet singer Tony Hadley is a known supporter of the Conservative Party and noted admirer of Margaret Thatcher. Speaking at the Tory party conference in 2007, Hadley said: “The fabric of society is torn. We need Cameron to be more like Thatcher, to say enough is enough.” He was apparently greeted with an impromptu chorus of his hit song “Gold” at the bar afterwards. Around the same time, Hadley was rumoured to be considering a run in politics himself, though, this never materialised.
Phil Collins
Phil Collins famously made good on his promise to leave the country if Labour were elected in 1997, emigrating to Switzerland. Ahead of the 2005 election, Noel Gallagher urged: “Vote Labour. If you don’t and the Tories get in, Phil is threatening to come back.” Collins later qualified that the decision was made over Labour’s tax policies for the rich and because he was in a relationship with a woman who lived in Switzerland, but he’d never been a Conservative Party supporter.
Craig David surprised fans by appearing to support David Cameron in a YouTube video, which was later deleted. According to Huck magazine, Craig sang in the video: “Oh Mr Cameron wants to change what we’re going through. I hope that his policies will protect me and you,” to the tune of his hit single, “Fill Me In”. Later asked by Huck to comment on the video, David said: “I will go on record and say: I don’t know what was happening there.” However, the artist refused to discuss his political affiliations.
