A political song accusing Prime Minister Theresa May of lying and U-turns has topped the Amazon and iTunes charts and is near the top of the official singles chart, but has not been played on BBC and other mainstream radio stations, prompting a petition signed by thousands.
The song Liar Liar by London-based band Captain SKA has gained popularity ahead of the June 8 election but BBC said it was not being played due to editorial guidelines on being impartial. This has led to allegations of censorship by media owners trying to undermine public opinion.
The song set to a foot-tapping reggae beat protests against deep funding cuts by the May government in education, health and social care. The band said profits from the song will go to food banks across the UK, where people unable to meet costs go for free food.
Watch | Video for the song Liar Liar by the band Captain SKA
BBC Radio 1 said in a statement: “We do not ban songs or artists, however our editorial guidelines require us to remain impartial and the UK is currently in an election period so we will not be playing the song.”
{{/usCountry}}BBC Radio 1 said in a statement: “We do not ban songs or artists, however our editorial guidelines require us to remain impartial and the UK is currently in an election period so we will not be playing the song.”
{{/usCountry}}The opening lyrics are: "We all know politicians lie/Big ones, little ones, porky pies/Saying they're strong and stable/Won't disguise we're still being taken for a ride. Nurses going hungry, schools in decline/I don't recognise this broken country of mine/They’re having a laugh, let’s show them the door then/Cut the rich, not the poor."
This is set against a chorus that goes, “She’s a liar, you can’t trust her.”
Captain SKA said: "The success of this song shows people are fed up with this government of the rich, for the rich. We're overwhelmed with the support and our message is that people do have the power to change society if we act together."
The video ends with the caption “On 8 June, Tories out”.