Georgia Pearce
Guest Reporter
A Christmas parody song aimed at Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer caused a blistering row on GB News, after commentator Matthew Stadlen accused the hosts of "laughing" at "pensioners suffering".
"Freezing This Christmas", created by Chris Middleton, was inspired by the country's anger over Labour's cuts to Winter Fuel Payments.
Speaking to GB News, Chris Middleton revealed that his track, which has gone viral on social media, stemmed from his "deep seated feeling" of public dissatisfaction with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Chancellor Rachel Reeves's decision to cut the pensioner perk this winter.
However, the BBC has so far refused to play the song on its radio stations, despite it topping the charts and reaching number one.
Speaking to The Telegraph, singer on the track Dean Ager claimed the BBC's refusal to play the song is "giving them bad publicity for being so biased", urging them to give it "proper airplay and stop denying the chance to raise money for charity and raise awareness".
Discussing the BBC's refusal on GB News, commentator Matthew Stadlen accused hosts Ben Leo and Nana Akua of "laughing at old people suffering" by supporting the song.
Stadlen fumed: "I don't want to be po-faced about this, but you are laughing at old people suffering, and that's what the song is doing. We're watching old people suffer, and I think it's the song in extremely poor taste."
Hitting back at Stadlen, Ben stated: "Week after week on this channel, for months, we've been sticking up for pensioners. For the winter fuel allowance, for farmers who have been stitched up by this government, so don't sit there and accuse us."
Stadlen stood firm on his stance, interjecting: "Why are you laughing while we're watching it? You're watching old people suffering, I can't laugh at that. I find no humour in it at all.
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"I've already told you, I thought it was a mistake, politically and policy wise. The one thing I will not be doing is laughing at a song where we're watching old people struggling and apparently freezing to death."
Nana further explained their defence of the song and why people may laugh at it, telling Stadlen: "What people are laughing at is the fact that actually, it's an irony that Keir Starmer has stood on a pillar of integrity, and he never mentioned it in his manifesto. And we're listening to the words, and in a sense, it's such a disgrace."
Ben then added: "How can you sit there and accuse us of laughing at pensioners when the work and the graft and the attention we've given this issue - when it's your party, Matthew, the people you come on this channel to support, who have implemented this policy? You are the joke here, unfortunately."
Stadlen further criticised the song, telling GB News: "To make a song which generates amongst some people laughter when you're watching people really struggle, says it all. It makes me think that the concern is to bash Labour rather than stick up for vulnerable old people. It's disingenuous, actually, every word of it."
Shutting down Stadlen's remarks, Nana reiterated: "You're being unbelievably disingenuous. The bottom line is this, the song itself points out an absolute irony of Keir Starmer's Government, and that's what we're laughing at.
"We're not laughing at the pensioners. We're laughing at the fact that this man stood on a plinth of integrity and then he did things that were not in his manifesto."
As Ben attempted to defend the channel further, Nana urged him to "not waste his time defending" the channel.
A BBC spokesperson said that the "decisions on what stations play are always made with the relevant audiences and context in mind".
Find Out More...
"Freezing This Christmas", created by Chris Middleton, was inspired by the country's anger over Labour's cuts to Winter Fuel Payments.
Speaking to GB News, Chris Middleton revealed that his track, which has gone viral on social media, stemmed from his "deep seated feeling" of public dissatisfaction with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Chancellor Rachel Reeves's decision to cut the pensioner perk this winter.
However, the BBC has so far refused to play the song on its radio stations, despite it topping the charts and reaching number one.
Speaking to The Telegraph, singer on the track Dean Ager claimed the BBC's refusal to play the song is "giving them bad publicity for being so biased", urging them to give it "proper airplay and stop denying the chance to raise money for charity and raise awareness".
Discussing the BBC's refusal on GB News, commentator Matthew Stadlen accused hosts Ben Leo and Nana Akua of "laughing at old people suffering" by supporting the song.
Stadlen fumed: "I don't want to be po-faced about this, but you are laughing at old people suffering, and that's what the song is doing. We're watching old people suffer, and I think it's the song in extremely poor taste."
Hitting back at Stadlen, Ben stated: "Week after week on this channel, for months, we've been sticking up for pensioners. For the winter fuel allowance, for farmers who have been stitched up by this government, so don't sit there and accuse us."
Stadlen stood firm on his stance, interjecting: "Why are you laughing while we're watching it? You're watching old people suffering, I can't laugh at that. I find no humour in it at all.
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"I've already told you, I thought it was a mistake, politically and policy wise. The one thing I will not be doing is laughing at a song where we're watching old people struggling and apparently freezing to death."
Nana further explained their defence of the song and why people may laugh at it, telling Stadlen: "What people are laughing at is the fact that actually, it's an irony that Keir Starmer has stood on a pillar of integrity, and he never mentioned it in his manifesto. And we're listening to the words, and in a sense, it's such a disgrace."
Ben then added: "How can you sit there and accuse us of laughing at pensioners when the work and the graft and the attention we've given this issue - when it's your party, Matthew, the people you come on this channel to support, who have implemented this policy? You are the joke here, unfortunately."
Stadlen further criticised the song, telling GB News: "To make a song which generates amongst some people laughter when you're watching people really struggle, says it all. It makes me think that the concern is to bash Labour rather than stick up for vulnerable old people. It's disingenuous, actually, every word of it."
Shutting down Stadlen's remarks, Nana reiterated: "You're being unbelievably disingenuous. The bottom line is this, the song itself points out an absolute irony of Keir Starmer's Government, and that's what we're laughing at.
"We're not laughing at the pensioners. We're laughing at the fact that this man stood on a plinth of integrity and then he did things that were not in his manifesto."
As Ben attempted to defend the channel further, Nana urged him to "not waste his time defending" the channel.
A BBC spokesperson said that the "decisions on what stations play are always made with the relevant audiences and context in mind".
Find Out More...