Blur singer Damon Albarn confronts Michael Gove on Brexit during talk Damon Albarn challenged Michael Gove over his pro-Brexit politics during a public talk. The former Blur singer spoke from the […]

Damon Albarn challenged Michael Gove over his pro-Brexit politics during a public talk.

The former Blur singer spoke from the floor at a candid talk by Mr Gove at the Kings Place Politics Festival. He began telling the environment secretary that “52 [per cent], 48 [per cent], it’s a very small margin”. He was then shouted down by another member of the audience. “52 is more than 48, mate!” the man said.

Mr Gove, a prominent member of Vote Leave, had suggested the campaign’s infamous pledge that money saved by Brexit could be spent on the NHS was not relevant because “rubbish arguments” would “come out in the wash”.

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Campaign billboards were adorned with the slogan: “Let’s give our NHS the £350m the EU takes every week.” The figure was disputed as “potentially misleading” during the campaign. Subsequently politicians have said such a figure would not be spent on the health service.

Out in the wash

Mr Gove said the campaign had only argued for an additional £100 million for the NHS. He said he did not accept the slogan was a “wicked trick” because “I don’t think the British public are capable of being gulled”. Vote Leave “were careful to draw out exactly what was meant”, he added.

“The British public will through it all sift out what they think are legitimate promises and legitimate attempts to fulfil them, and what were fast ones will come out in the wash,” he said. “I might think that the public should be steered towards this or that judgment, and I will make my case for doing so. But ultimately [the public will determine] that’s a good argument, we think you did you best, or we think that was a rubbish argument, and you were having us on.”

Eggs out of a cooked cake

Speaking to i after the event, Mr Albarn said he was “familiar with [Mr Gove’s] tactics”. “I like him, he’s very personable, he’s funny. But when I start talking about issues I’m getting really pissed off, because I don’t fucking agree with him,” he said. “He’s excused everything, in a very nice way, and some of it is inexcusable really.

“A Polish cab driver put it well – the chances of us leaving Europe ae like getting an egg out of a cooked cake.”

Mr Albarn was appearing at the Politics Festival as a special guest of the Orchestra of Syrian Musicians. He said he had “challenged [Gove] before, I’ve bumped into him on Latimer Road”.

Albarn: Corbyn is exciting

Mr Albarn said he was encouraged by the younger generation turning away from the Conservatives. “In ten years time, the way things are going, the Conservatives will be in a minority position again,” he said. “If you look at the numbers, in ten years time there’ll be another generation of young voters.”

He said he thought Labour’s leftward shift under Jeremy Corbyn was “exciting”. He added: “I agree with what he’s saying. He’s more of a humanist, on the surface, than Theresa May.”