'You've gotta vote Labour': Russell Brand gamble pays off
Cameron dismissed 'Milibrand' as a joke - but Brand’s endorsement is serious for Tories
As predicted, Russell Brand yesterday endorsed Ed Miliband, saying: “This bloke will listen to us”. The comedian urged anyone who doesn’t live in Scotland or Brighton: "You've gotta vote Labour."
As The Guardian reports, Brand went back on his advice that voting is a waste of time because he believed it was important to oust the Conservatives from government.
Releasing a further clip from his ‘Trews’ interview with the Labour leader, Brand commented: “What I heard Ed Miliband say is that if we speak, he will listen. So on that basis, I think we’ve got no choice but to take decisive action to end the danger of the Conservative party.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
“David Cameron might think I’m a joke but I don’t think there’s anything funny about what the Conservative party have been doing to this country and we have to stop them.”
The Tory-supporting press agreed with the PM that the interview was a desperate gimmick, while Nigel Farage is quoted today saying: “I’m very pleased Russell Brand hasn’t endorsed me.”
But The Guardian columnist Owen Jones is in no doubt that Brand’s endorsement vindicates Miliband’s decision to take the gamble of being interviewed by the unconventional comedian.
“By 2pm on Monday afternoon more than 1.75 million people had watched either the full Brand interview with Miliband or its trailer,” Jones writes. “For comparison, Cameron’s kitchen interview with the paywall-free SunNation has been watched by just 141,000 people, despite having been available online for much longer.”
Brand, says Jones, has 10 million Twitter followers and is listened to by disillusioned Brits - “particularly young people who have been repeatedly kicked over the last few years”.
The comedian's endorsement will worry Team Cameron, says Jones - not least because during the last six weeks before the deadline, nearly 2.3 million people registered vote, and more than 700,000 of them were 24 or under.
Footnote: Scots were excluded from Brand's edict because: “If you’re Scottish, you don’t need an English person telling you what to do.” As for the citizens of Brighton, he said: “If you’re in Brighton I think it’d be a travesty if we lost the voice of Caroline Lucas in Westminster; but anywhere else, you’ve gotta vote Labour.”
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Trump gets $289M break, first criminal trial date
Speed Read The former president's fraud bond has been reduced to $175 million from $464 million
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Today's political cartoons - March 26, 2024
Cartoons Tuesday's cartoons - the House GOP abandon ship, Joe Biden sets his stall, and more
By The Week US Published
-
US-Israel rift widens after UN cease-fire resolution
Speed Read The U.S. declined to veto a U.N. resolution calling for a two-week "immediate cease-fire" in Gaza
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Will Aukus pact survive a second Trump presidency?
Today's Big Question US, UK and Australia seek to expand 'game-changer' defence partnership ahead of Republican's possible return to White House
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Can Cameron put the Falklands sovereignty dispute to bed?
Today's Big Question Foreign secretary says issue 'not up for discussion' ahead of visit amid renewed push from Argentina
By The Week UK Published
-
It's the economy, Sunak: has 'Rishession' halted Tory fightback?
Today's Big Question PM's pledge to deliver economic growth is 'in tatters' as stagnation and falling living standards threaten Tory election wipeout
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Will America recognize a Palestinian state?
Today's Big Question Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu opposes the move. Some see it as the only route to peace.
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Fasting to burger buffets: the weird and wonderful diets of politicians
Why Everyone's Talking About Rishi Sunak reportedly starts his week with a 36-hour fast
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Why your local council may be going bust
The Explainer Across England, local councils are suffering from grave financial problems
By The Week UK Published
-
Rishi Sunak and the right-wing press: heading for divorce?
Talking Point The Telegraph launches 'assault' on PM just as many Tory MPs are contemplating losing their seats
By Keumars Afifi-Sabet, The Week UK Published
-
How would a second Trump presidency affect Britain?
Today's Big Question Re-election of Republican frontrunner could threaten UK security, warns former head of secret service
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published