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The Rocket Man star Elton John’s comments came as Keir Starmer’s government attempted to woo global investors at a major summit held by the government at Guildhall
Elton John has said he hopes Keir Starmer’s Labour can rescue Britain from the “doldrums”.
The Rocket Man star’s comments came as the government attempted to woo global investors at a major summit on Monday.
Sir Elton told more than 300 business leaders at Guildhall in London: “Thank you for being here tonight and choosing to invest in this country. It’s a wonderful country, the United Kingdom, and the last few years it has been in the doldrums.
“But now we have a new government under the stewardship of Keir Starmer, and we’re very hopeful that we can return this country to where it was many years ago: at the forefront of trade and of exports. You coming here and investing £63 billion into this country will achieve incredible things. Thank you so so much.”
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Sir Elton later performed hit songs Your Song and Tiny Dancer at a glitzy St Paul’s Cathedral reception attended by King Charles. The star and his husband David Furnish, also met with the PM backstage.
During July’s General Election, Sir Elton was among celebrities to endorse Labour. In a video message that was played to Labour supporters at a campaign event, he told them: “It’s heartbreaking to see the hopes of Britain’s next generation of creative talent downtrodden and destroyed by bureaucracy and red tape.
“That’s why we’re backing Keir and Labour to win this election. There is only one choice. Let’s help artists cut through the red tape that prevents them from thriving and contributing to this country’s future success. Let’s show the world what a creative, prosperous and forward-thinking nation Britain is.”
During the summit on Monday, Mr Starmer also vowed to unleash the “shock and awe of investment” in an attempt to boost growth. The PM told some of the world’s top business leaders at the summit: “This is an age of great possibility” as he called on them to “back Britain”.
And he promised to “rip up” red tape when needed, “end the culture of chop and change” when it came to rules, and encourage UK regulators to be more pro-growth in their decision making.
The event, at which Chancellor Rachel Reeves and other cabinet big hitters spoke, was designed to convince international investors to pump money into the UK. Ms Reeves said around £60billion of investment had been announced by firms during and in the lead-up to the global investment summit.
