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Lily Allen and Rob Delaney are among stars who support the party’s manifesto
Labour will tonight unveil its celebrity firepower at the east London launch of a charter for the arts. Big guns will include singing stars Lily Allen – who posted a video of herself praising the new manifesto in app-generated tears – MIA and Emeli Sandé, and the film-maker Ken Loach. Labour hopes they will help its promise to invest £1bn in an “arts for all” programme cut through to the electorate. “Every child, whatever their background, should be able to enjoy the fundamentals in life, and access to the arts is crucial to that,” Sandé has said.
Politicians usually have a tricky, not to say distant, relationship with the world of entertainment and the arts, but in an election campaign all this changes as party HQs reach out for VIP endorsements, although MPs may have little idea who these people are. Historically, Labour enjoys stronger support, with notable exceptions such as Michael Caine, Jim Davidson, Julian Fellowes and Gary Barlow. Continue reading...