Rod Stewart calls on Tories to quit: ‘Give the Labour Party a go’
Stewart, a longstanding supporter of the Conservatives, says it's time for a new UK government
Sir Rod Stewart has called on the Conservative Party to stand down, saying that he’s “never seen” Britain in such a bad state.
The soloist and Faces singer made the remarks in a phone-in to Sky News yesterday (January 26) during a panel discussion on the nurses strike.
Sir Rod said: “I personally have been a Tory for a long time but I think this Government should stand down now and give the Labour Party a go at it.
“This is heartbreaking for the nurses, it really is heartbreaking. In all my years of living in this country I’ve never seen it so bad. Go on the nurses, I’m on your side.”
The rock star added: “This is a bad time for us in Great Britain, it really is. Change the bloody Government. It’s just terribly sad. I’m so proud to be British, and I can’t stand it being this way.”
Sir Rod has become increasingly critical of the Tories. When Boris Johnson won the 2019 general election, he tweeted: “Well done Boris.”
Two years later, however, he attacked the former Prime Minister’s Brexit deal in the Spanish press, saying that it had been a “disaster” for musicians.
The singer phoned Sky News after attending his annual check-up at a private clinic. He offered to pay for 10 or 20 scans for members of the public to help bring down record NHS waiting lists.
He added that he hoped “some other people will follow” and that wealthy private individuals would contribute towards safeguarding the NHS’s future.
Looking ahead, Sir Rod said that the national health service “has to be rebuilt with billions and billions” because it’s been in existence since the late 1940s.
In recent months the singer has helped others elsewhere, including renting a home with his wife, Penny Lancaster, for a family of seven Ukrainian refugees.
Last October, Sir Rod revealed to the Daily Mirror that he was renting a house in Berkshire for husband and wife, Rostyslav and Olena ,and their children, Taras, 17, Kostya, 16, Roman, 13, Mariia, 10, and Dymtro, two, after they fled Ukraine following Russia’s invasion in February 2022.
He and Lancaster will pay both the rent and bills for at least a year as the Ukrainian family continue to settle into their new home.
Meanwhile, earlier this year the musician revealed that he turned down almost £1 million to perform as part of the Qatar World Cup [via The Sunday Times].