Tory leader slams "cowardly" Kneecap decision accusing Labour of 'capitulation'

Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has accused the Government of a “cowardly decision” after it reached an agreement in a legal challenge brought by Irish language rap-trio Kneecap.

The Belfast band launched the legal case after the former business secretary had refused them a £14,250 funding award.

A spokesperson for the Tory leader accused Kneecap of "promoting violence" and "hating the UK."

“It is unbelievable Labour have chosen not to pursue this case – yet another cowardly decision after giving away the Chagos Islands. Labour will always capitulate rather than defend UK interests," the spokesperson said.

“This case is not about whether a band promotes violence or hates the UK, as Kneecap clearly do; this is about whether government ministers have the ability to stop taxpayers’ money subsidising people who neither need nor deserve it.”

The spokesman said the Government would “rather waste your money” that stand up to a band “who go to court because the UK government won’t hand them cash”.

During a brief hearing at Belfast High Court on Friday, Mr Justice Scoffield said he was glad that the two sides in the case had reached agreement.

Reading an agreed statement into the record, barrister for Kneecap Ronan Lavery KC said: “It is declared that the decision is unlawful, procedurally unfair, took into account immaterial considerations and failed to take into account relevant factors.”

It was agreed that the sum of £14,250 would be paid by the Government to the group.

The West Belfast hip-hop artists had applied for a grant allocated to support UK-registered artists in global markets.

Their application to the Music Export Growth Scheme had been approved by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).

However, the grant scheme is overseen by the Department for Business and Trade and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport at Westminster, and the then UK business secretary Mrs Badenoch, who is now the Conservative Party leader, decided to refuse the funding in February.

At the time, a government spokesperson said it fully supported freedom of speech, but that it was “hardly surprising” that it did not want to hand out UK taxpayers’ money to those opposed to the United Kingdom.

Band member DJ Provai arrived at court on Friday in an old Land Rover, styled to look like a police vehicle, which was bearing the Irish tricolour and Palestinian flags and blaring loud music.

He was wearing his usual Irish tricolour balaclava, which he removed to enter the court building.

After the agreement was read, barrister Mr Lavery said he was sorry he could not read it in Irish, to which Mr Justice Scoffield replied: “Go raibh maith agat”, which means “thank you” in Irish.

The band said it would donate the grant to two youth organisations in Belfast – one from a nationalist and one from a unionist area.

Speaking outside court afterwards, DJ Provai said: “For us, this action was never about £14,250; it could have been 50p.

“The motivation was equality.

“This was an attack on artistic culture, an attack on the Good Friday Agreement itself and an attack on Kneecap and our way of expressing ourselves.”

He added: “The former secretary of state Kemi Badenoch and her department acted unlawfully; this is now a fact.

“They don’t like that we oppose British rule, that we don’t believe that England serves anyone in Ireland and the working classes on both sides of the community deserve better; deserve funding, deserve appropriate mental health services, deserve to celebrate music and art and deserve the freedom to express our culture.

“They broke their own laws in trying to silence Kneecap.”

He added: “They have tried to silence us and they have failed.”

Asked what his message was for Mrs Badenoch, DJ Provai said: “Good effort Kemi, hard lines in the elections. Onwards and upwards.”

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