Downing Street has been forced to deny that a slick new video of Rishi Sunak’s first week as prime minister contains music by the convicted paedophile Gary Glitter.
No 10 published the video on Twitter on Friday morning with the caption: “Together we can achieve incredible things. Now let’s get to work”.
The video features backing music that many on social media said was strikingly similar to Glitter’s hit song Rock ‘n’ Roll.
Glitter, 76, whose name is Paul Gadd, was jailed for 16 years for attempted rape, unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl under 13 and four counts of indecent assault in 2015.
In 2002, he was expelled from Cambodia over unspecified allegations, and in March 2006 he was convicted of sexually abusing two girls, aged 10 and 11, in Vietnam.
The prime minister’s spokesperson said “stock music” had been used for the backing track. She added: “I’m not aware of it costing anything additional to the work that we do in communicating for the prime minister.”
Together we can achieve incredible things.
— Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) October 28, 2022
Now let's get to work 👇 pic.twitter.com/yqzPR9Wzgq
Sunak’s 90-second video features him walking along Downing Street before making his first speech as PM, walking into No 10 and greeting his supporters before he tells his team: “Let’s get back, back to it.”
In the same clip, Sunak addresses the US president, Joe Biden, who says his name correctly after he publicly mispronounced his name as “Rashee Sanook” during a congratulatory speech.
The White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, also mispronounced Sunak’s name before correcting herself.
The prime minister is known for releasing slick videos showcasing his work, and having a penchant for photo ops from his time as chancellor.
During the summer Tory leadership race, Sunak’s team released a swanky three-minute video kicking off his leadership campaign with a vow to not promise “fairytales”.
