The BBC journalist responsible for the satirical political hit Freezing This Christmas has claimed he was let go from his role at the corporation following the song’s release.
Chris Middleton, a freelance newsreader for BBC Newcastle, said he was informed he could no longer work for the broadcaster after admitting he was behind the parody, which takes aim at Sir Keir Starmer over cuts to winter fuel payments for pensioners.
However, Mr Middleton has now alleged that he paid a personal price for the song, claiming he was “let go” by the BBC because of a “conflict of interest.”
He had worked at the broadcaster for six years, but said that after informing his bosses he planned to promote the song publicly, he was told: “You can’t work here anymore.”
Speaking to GB News, he explained: “I was told, because it was a conflict of interest, it would be against the BBC’s impartiality rules to allow me to continue my job as a newsreader while also putting out a song which of course was political, but the main goal of it was to raise money and raise awareness for pensioners.”
Released under the name Sir Starmer and the Granny Harmers, the song struck a chord with the public, climbing the UK charts and raising more than £50,000 for the charity Age UK.
Mr Middleton said he “mulled over” the decision to reveal his identity but eventually decided it was thr right course of action to raise as much money as possible.
He said: “Do I stay anonymous and maybe the song won’t do as well? Or do I put my face out there, put my name out there, and try to push the song as much as possible and raise awareness, knowing that potentially it would cost me my freelance job with the BBC?”
BBC declined to comment when approached by The Independent on the matter.
The parody song is based on Mud’s 1974 Christmas No 1 “Lonely This Christmas” and took aim at prime minister Keir Starmer’s decision to strip 10 million pensioners of the winter fuel payment.
The lyrics include the lines: “It’ll be freezing this Christmas, without fuel at home/ It’ll be freezing this Christmas, while Keir Starmer is warm/ It’ll be cold, so cold, without fuel at home, this Christmas.”
The track was written Mr Middleton himself and then performed by Rat Pack tribute singer Dean Ager.
At the time, Mr Middleton told The Telegraph that he was inspired to write the song after hearing about elderly people struggling to heat their homes.
“The changes to winter fuel allowances weren’t in Labour’s manifesto, which implied they wouldn’t hurt pensioners,” he said.
“Looking at those old clips where [Starmer] is criticising the Tories, saying 4,000 people would die if the allowance was scrapped, the hypocrisy is plain to see.”
