I did indulge in politics. It was a mistake!

The world of popular music was rocked last night when one of its figureheads confessed to having engaged in a prolonged bout of politics at a party he hosted 20 years ago.

‘It was a mistake that I profoundly regret,’ said Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones, following revelations that at parties in the late 1990s he indulged in conversations concerning the balance of payments.

Asked whether he had also spent any time in that period indulging in speculation about future leaders of the Conservative Party, Richards denied it, but said that he may have discussed the ‘ IDS’, a wellknown slang term for Iain Duncan Smith among political obsessives.

‘People should never be defined by the worst decision that they made,’ said Richards. ‘ I am very, very conscious of the mistake I made in going on and on about politics, albeit for only a night or two. It is not one I would want anyone else to make. It was a mistake. I deeply regret it.’

Many of Richard’s fellow rock stars have been quick to distance themselves from the furore. Some have strongly denied that they have ever taken part in the cut and thrust of politics.

‘In my youth, I may have been in a room where the necessity for increased funding to local authorities was discussed,’ said Jimmy Page, the respected leader of Led Zeppelin, ‘but at no point did I get involved, and I took care to leave the room long before it all got out of hand. I fully recognise that heated political discussion is ruinous not only for those involved, but for society as a whole.’

Ozzy Osbourne, veteran vocalist with Black Sabbath, also hotly denied ever having resorted to strong opinions.

‘I have never and will never bandy opinions around’, he said last night. ‘even soft opinions are dangerous. It’s well known that they can lead to strong opinions, and then there’s no way back.

‘You just bang on and on and, before long, you are unable to stop.’ Osbourne denied persistent rumours that 30 years ago he was spotted huddling in the corner of a room with a member of the SDP, taking turns to air views on the need for social equality.

Other prominent pop stars yesterday admitted to having been hooked on political discussion. ‘It crept up on me slowly,’ confessed singer Pete Doherty. ‘First, I overheard a few phoneins. That led to Question Time, which in turn led to Any Questions. Morning, noon and night, I inhaled opinions.

‘By the end, my craving had got so bad that I was even getting up early on Sunday mornings to get a dose of John Redwood talking to Andrew Marr about the WTO. And once you start showing an interest in the WTO it’s well-known that there’s no going back.’ Other rock ’n’ roll front-runners have been asked if they have ever imbibed POs (Political Opinions):

Snoop Dogg: ‘I may have once expressed a little support for increased funding to local authorites. But it was a long time ago. If so, I deeply regret it.’ SIR MICK JAGGER: ‘ Years ago, I met John Major and he led me into a discussion about the trade deficit.

‘I may have contributed a few lines. I realise now that I should have been more strong-minded and just said no.’

Motley Crue: ‘ We have never ever discussed politics or indulged in political to-and-fro. We were always far too busy taking drugs.

‘If anyone attempts to suggest otherwise, they will be hearing from our lawyers. You have been warned.’

SIR Elton John: ‘I was once in a very dark place. It ended with me being up for 24 hours at a time, debating the rights and wrongs of privatisation. And then it went from bad to worse.

‘By the end of that day, I had consumed the autobiographies of Ann Widdecombe, nick Clegg and Jack Straw, all in a single sitting, and I had begun re- reading the Conservative Manifesto. That was when I knew I had reached rock bottom. I needed help.

‘But at least there’s one thing I can be proud of. I never ran through a field of wheat.’