Freezing this Christmas, a charity single could hit the number one spot
Not since Band Aid has the race for Christmas No. 1 been this politically charged.
A biting charity single titled Freezing This Christmas, which skewers Sir Keir Starmer, has soared in popularity on streaming platforms, vying to become the most played festive track of the season.
The song, written by freelance journalist Chris Middleton and performed by Rat Pack tribute singer Dean Ager, targets the prime minister’s decision to cut winter fuel payments for millions of pensioners. Parodying Mud’s 1974 classic Lonely This Christmas, it is released under the band name Sir Starmer and the Granny Harmers. The lyrics question how Starmer “can sleep at night,” with lines such as: “It’ll be freezing this Christmas without fuel at home.”
Ager sings, “It’ll be cold, so cold, without fuel at home,” before the track cuts to a clip of Starmer previously expressing sympathy for elderly people facing fuel poverty.
Already topping the EE Big Top 40, which charts songs based on downloads and Apple Music streams, the single is a strong contender for the official Christmas No. 1, set to be announced Friday afternoon on BBC Radio 1. According to bookmaker William Hill, it has become a “serious contender,” with odds dropping from 20-1 to 12-1 in just 24 hours, making it the second favorite.
The single has raised over £15,000 for Age UK, amassing 145,000 Spotify plays and more than 1.6 million YouTube views.
Its competition includes last year’s winner, Last Christmas by Wham!, along with That’s So True by Gracie Abrams and It Can’t Be Christmas by Tom Grennan.
