British synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys have returned with a new song that makes fun of Michael Gove and Donald Trump.

Entitled Give Stupidity a Chance, the upbeat track is deeply ironic, calling for a world devoted to self-centredness and unencumbered by political correctness.

One lyric sung by Neil Tennant runs: “Intelligent people have had their say / It’s time for the foolish to show the way … We’ve had quite enough of experts and their dealings / Why face the facts when you can just feel the feelings?” This is a riff on Gove’s infamous statement ahead of the Brexit vote that “people in this country have had enough of experts”.

In the song’s middle eight, Tennant sings: “Chicks are always up for it / You’ve got to grab whatever you can / We need a leader who knows money means class / With an eye for a peach-perfect piece of ass” – a sly reference to Donald Trump, who told TV host Billy Bush that when he met women he felt able to “grab them by the pussy”, and who has faced numerous accusations of sexual misconduct.

Another lyric reads “instead of governing with thoughtful sensitivity / let’s shock and awe the world with idiotic bigotry”, a reference to the “shock and awe” tactics of the US military, particularly during the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Pet Shop Boys haven’t been shy of politics in their career, which kicked off in 1984 with their No 1 single West End Girls. Their similarly ironic 1985 single Opportunities (Let’s Make Lots of Money) satirised the self-interest of the Thatcher years, while their 1993 cover of Go West implicitly championed gay rights. They later lobbied David Cameron to pardon Alan Turing, the second world war hero who was prosecuted for his homosexuality in the 1950s.

Their 2006 song I’m With Stupid was a veiled attack on Tony Blair and George Bush, and the UK’s “special relationship” with the US. It included the lyric: “Is stupid really stupid or a different kind of smart? / Do we really have a relationship so special in your heart?”

Integral, from the same year, was a criticism of government surveillance and Blair’s proposed national ID card scheme. A spokesperson for the group said Tennant renounced his Labour membership over the issue.

Their most recent studio album was Super in 2016. The duo have recently issued remastered versions of their back catalogue.