£1.5m firewoke show
London mayor gets a rocket as taxpayer cash blown on ‘politically correct’ New Year’s Eve
LONDON’S mayor Sadiq Khan faced a backlash yesterday after being accused of ‘politicising’ the capital’s fireworks display.
Drones formed the Black Lives Matter clenched fist logo and there were lights in EU colours, prompting anger from some of the 10.8million viewers who watched it live on BBC1.
In September, the Labour mayor called off the traditional display, with tens of thousands of revellers watching from the banks of the Thames, because of the virus. Details of the £1.5million taxpayer-funded alternative – planned by Mr Khan, who had the final say on its content – were kept top secret to prevent large crowds from gathering in Tier Four London.
Rockets were fired from a barge in the river and 300 drones flew above the O2 in south-east London. The ten-minute show featured prominent use of blue and yellow lights, EU colours, just after Britain’s trade deal kicked in.
The BLM fist symbol appeared as George the Poet – the spoken word artist who turned down an MBE in 2019 because of the ‘pure evil’ British Empire – read an extract of his poem Coronavirus: The Power of Collaboration.
Yesterday Tory MP Andrew Bridgen told the Daily Mail: ‘A Left-wing politician uses his position and taxpayers’ money to make blatantly political statements – I hope the taxpayers of London remember that the next time they’re asked to vote for a mayor.’
One viewer said on Twitter: ‘It
‘Turned it off after four minutes’
was a disgrace. The whole thing. Propaganda to fireworks, lights and music. Wish we hadn’t watched it, like many others I know.’
Another said: ‘Had my London fireworks ruined by politics again. Turned off after four minutes.’
The display also paid tribute to the NHS and featured Captain Sir Tom Moore. And as drones above the O2 formed images of a turtle and the Earth, Sir David Attenborough said: ‘Together we can restore our fragile home and make it a happy new year for all the inhabitants of planet Earth.’
Auld Lang Syne was played in the background during Sir David’s message near the end of the display. But some viewers were upset there was not more of a singalong.
In recent years, BBC1 has broadcast a live concert from London either side of the midnight celebrations. However, this year US pop star Alicia Keys provided the entertainment from Los Angeles.
But some questioned why the singer celebrated the UK’s new year with her song Empire State of Mind – a tribute to New York.
Others criticised the BBC for choosing an American performer rather than a British singer.
The BBC last night said it will not comment on why she was chosen. A source at the corporation said: ‘We always have a music act on New Year’s Eve which has included in recent years Craig David, Nile Rodgers and Chic, and Queen and Adam Lambert among others.’ Rodgers and Lambert are both American. Despite the backlash, Mr Khan said that he was proud of the display.
His spokesman yesterday revealed that the budget was £1.5million – ‘substantially less than in previous years’. And when
asked why the mayor ‘politicised’ the display, the spokesman said: ‘It reflected the defining moments of what has been a very challenging year for our city and country, including the impact of Black Lives Matter. The display also looked ahead in hope to 2021, including sending a message to European Londoners that they will always have a home in our city. The mayor has final sign-off on the content of the display.’
This is not the first time Remainer Mr Khan has caused controversy with the new year fireworks display.
The £2.3million extravaganza that welcomed in 2019 saw the London Eye transformed into an EU flag.