There’s not much that the Conservatives, the SNP and Labour agree on – but it appears Irish rappers Kneecap have pulled off the improbable and united political opponents against them this week. The republican band has been the source of much outrage after video footage from a 2023 concert emerged, in which one of the trio appears to say: ‘The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP.’ In a political environment that has seen two UK politicians murdered within the last decade, the remarks are rather disturbing. Counter-terrorism police are now assessing the clip, while Prime Minister Keir Starmer has suggested that the group’s government funding should be cut. Well, actions have consequences…
But the Kneecap controversy doesn’t stop there. There is a second video circulating from a gig in November last year, also being investigated by the police, which appears to show a band member shouting ‘up Hamas, up Hezbollah’ at a London show.

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