Will Sam now be ‘cancelled’ for dates with a Brexiteer?
SAM SMITH is a hero of the woke brigade after declaring himself as ‘non-binary’ last year. So I’m surprised to hear he has been linked to a one- time campaigner for Vote Leave, whose cheerleaders often baited ‘luvvie’ Remainer celebs.
A source close to the singer tells me Sam has been on several dates with Shahmir Sanni, with my picture showing the pair enjoying drinks in London’s Soho earlier this month.
The friend says: ‘They are having a great time. No one thought Sam would strike up such a friendship with a Brexiteer, but they just clicked. They move in the same circle of friends, have been on dates together, and have also been seen kissing.’
Grammy Award winner Sam, 28, is obviously playing this carefully in the wake of Killing Eve star Jodie Comer being viciously ‘cancelled’ on Twitter for a dating a Trump-supporting Republican.
Shahmir was embroiled in a political storm two years ago when he turned whistleblower. He alleged that the Brexit campaign Vote Leave, for which he was a volunteer, broke election spending rules, making the referendum result ‘illegal’.
His ex-boyfriend, Stephen Parkinson, who at the time was an aide to then PM Theresa May and who is now a peer, issued an extraordinary statement defending Vote Leave – and, in the process, ‘outed’ Shahmir, who had yet to tell relatives in Pakistan that he was gay.
Shahmir’s lawyer issued a statement, saying: ‘We believe this is the first time a Downing Street official statement has been used to out someone. My client is now having to come out to his mother and family.’
Shahmir, 26, is known for his sense of humour, once saying: ‘I am a Victoria Beckham Girl, and it brings me great pain that I, as a 6ft 3in tall man, cannot find (let alone afford) her clothes in my size.’ Sam’s spokesman would not comment on his private life but a source close to the star insisted: ‘They are just friends.’