A two-year-old interview of former Beatle Ringo Starr, saying that he would have voted for Brexit in the 2016 EU referendum if he had been in the UK, has prompted an avalanche of abuse from pro-remainers.
The video clip from a 2017 interview with the former drummer on BBC Newsnight went viral on Twitter on Sunday, with angry anti-Brexiteers lashing out at the British rock’n’roll icon for his outspoken views on the contentious subject.
Theresa Griffin, the MEP for the north-west of England (which includes Liverpool), laid into the Beatles legend, who lives in Los Angeles, arguing that his views were not legitimate as he doesn’t pay taxes in the UK.
“...he doesn’t live here, doesn’t pay taxes here, has no idea the devastation #brexit is already causing…”
However, many others on social media have defended Starr and have hit out at his treatment from EU supporters for simply voicing opinions that don’t agree with theirs.
Former Labour MP George Galloway called it “shameful” and “un-British.” He argued that mega-rich individuals and companies such as Richard Branson, Goldman Sachs and Barack Obama – all known EU advocates – also don’t pay any UK taxes. Galloway urged the musician’s critics to “show some respect, for him, for free-speech...”
In the interview, the 79 year-old native of Dingle, Liverpool voiced his frustration at those seeking to overturn the referendum result and urged politicians to "get on with" Brexit, declaring that "to be in control of your country is a good move.”
The former Beatle, who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988 and who still performs solo from time to time, is reportedly the richest drummer in the world, with a net-worth of $350 million.
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