British music icon, Sir Elton John, has delivered a fierce rebuke of the United Kingdom government, accusing it of betraying young artists and siding with tech giants over proposed copyright law reforms.
In an interview aired on the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, the 78-year-old superstar said the government’s plans could strip creators of their rights and income.
“I feel incredibly betrayed,” John said, expressing outrage over legislation that would grant tech firms the ability to use copyrighted content unless artists and rights holders explicitly opt out.
He described the changes as “criminal” and warned that the move would amount to “thievery on a high scale”.
The veteran singer, whose career has spanned decades and includes more than 300 million records sold worldwide, stressed that emerging artists lack the resources to “fight big tech”.
While he acknowledged the potential of artificial intelligence, he cautioned against its misuse in the creative industries. “There has to be a line drawn,” he said.
At the centre of the controversy is the government’s Data (Use and Access) Bill, which is currently under review in parliament. The House of Lords had backed an amendment requiring tech companies to obtain permission from copyright holders before using their work, and to disclose when and how such content was used. However, the House of Commons, dominated by the Labour government, rejected the amendment in a recent vote.
John didn’t mince words about the government’s stance.
“The government are just being absolute losers and I’m very angry about it,” he said, specifically criticising Technology Secretary Peter Kyle, whom he dismissed as “a bit of a moron”.
He also directed his frustration at Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who has previously called for a balanced approach to copyright and AI. “They have no right to sell us down the river,” John declared. “Keir Starmer needs to wise up and see sense.”
The outcry from the music and literary community has been growing. Earlier this year, more than 1,000 artists, including Kate Bush, Annie Lennox, and Damon Albarn, released a silent album in protest, calling the proposed legislation an endorsement of “music theft”. In a joint letter to The Times, artists such as Paul McCartney, Ed Sheeran, Dua Lipa, Sting, and authors like Kazuo Ishiguro and Helen Fielding condemned the reforms as a “wholesale giveaway” to Silicon Valley.
In response, a spokesperson for the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology defended the bill, stating it aimed to “unlock the secure and effective use of data for the public interest”, projecting an economic benefit of £10 billion over the next decade.
