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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
David Maddox

Ed Davey to take on Mariah Carey in bid for Christmas number 1 hit

He’s thrown himself into water, fallen off a tight rope, plummeted down water slides, hurtled downhill on a bike, and played a giant blue version of Jenga - and it managed to win Sir Ed Davey’s party a record 72 seats in Parliament.

As well as the Lib Dem leader making headlines in this year’s general election with this series of stunts, he has also recently taken to TikTok to invite Keir Starmer to take part in a Fifa match as he tries to inject some fun into politics.

But now he’s taken on a new challenge and wants to be the first politician to crack the music charts.

He plans to take on Wham! and Mariah Carey in this year’s battle for the coveted official UK charts Christmas number 1 with a touching song which aims to raise money for carers.

Sir Ed is joining a charity track by Bath Philharmonia’s Young Carers’ Choir in support of the Carers Trust and the Bath Philharmonia.

Sir Ed Davey is also taking to TikTok to challenge Keir Starmer (Liberal Democrats)

The song was written by six current and former young carers and is a tribute to their responsibilities and the bond they share with the people they look after.

The Lib Dem leader is not the first politician to try and get a chart hit, but his predecessor Nick Clegg’s cover of Carly Rae Jepsen’s I Really Like You was never released because of fears it would be too cringeworthy.

Hoping to emulate Christmas single icons like East17 and Michael Bublé, Love is Enough will be released on Thursday.

The recording is produced by Brian Rawling and Paul Meehan for Metrophonic Productions.

The original writers of the song met with other young carers from Bristol, Somerset, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and Dorset in Bath last month to record the track professionally with a full orchestra, 20 singers and the Lib Dem leader.

The idea of a Christmas release was Sir Ed’s - inspired by his own time as a chorister when he was also a carer as a teenager.

Recently he was sent a recording of him singing a solo at a Christmas carol service with his choir in 1978 as a 13-year-old, and after hearing Love is Enough he asked if the young choir would like to work together to release a single at the end of 2024.

All money raised from downloads and streams of the charity single will go to the Carers Trust and Bath Philharmonia.

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