Sir Elton rallies to Hillary’s defence

Sir Elton John came to the defence of Hillary Clinton yesterday when he told the 5,000-strong crowd at a New York fund-raising concert that she was the victim of sexism. "I'm amazed by the misogynistic attitudes of some of the people in this country,” Sir Elton said at the Radio City Music Hall. "And I say to hell with them... I love you Hillary, I'll be there for you."  He then launched into his Seventies hit, Your Song.

The concert raised $2.5m for Clinton's cash-strapped Democratic campaign. Clinton didn't sing along, but borrowed from Elton John's lyrics when she spoke about her battle with rival Barack Obama – and vowed to stay in the fight to the end of the primary process: "What I want you to know is I’m still standing, and I believe this country is worth fighting for."

The pop star's comments echoed the former First Lady's remarks in an interview on National Public Radio on Tuesday when she said there was a "double standard" in media coverage of the race against Obama.

Elton John is not the first British musician to help raise funds for Hillary Clinton. In October Elvis Costello played at her 60th birthday concert, which raised $1.5m for her campaign. ·