Ukip calypso song should be withdrawn, says repentant Mike Read

The former Radio 1 DJ Mike Read has apologised for his Ukip-supporting calypso song and asked for it to be withdrawn from sale following criticism that it was racist.

He said he was sorry for “unintentionally causing offence” with the tune sung in a fake Caribbean accent, featuring lyrics about “open borders” and “illegal immigrants in every town”.

Read initially defended his song after some objected to his use of calypso music to promote an anti-immigration argument. “It was never meant to be remotely racist,” he said. “It’s an old-fashioned political satire … you can’t sing a calypso with a Surrey accent.”

But on Wednesday, the presenter appeared to have a change of heart, saying he had asked his record company to withdraw the song from sale, scuppering Ukip leader Nigel Farage’s hope that it could reach No 1 in the charts.

Read said: “I’m so sorry that the song unintentionally caused offence. That was never my intention and I apologise unreservedly if anyone has taken offence. I’ve asked the record company to withdraw the single immediately.”

At the time of Read’s statement, the song, Ukip Calypso, performed by Read and a band called the Independents, was No 2 in the Amazon MP3 best sellers list, having spent three days in the chart.

The Labour frontbencher Chuka Umunna said the song was distasteful. He added: “A lot of people have said they think it’s racist. I don’t know whether his intention was to be racist.” The shadow business secretary described a lot of what Ukip was doing as “vile, absolutely vile, and not in keeping with our British values of respect, tolerance and fair play”.

A Ukip spokesman said: “This is Mike’s song and it is obviously his decision what to do with it. We do think it is a shame that he has been treated so harshly by many in the ‘right-on’ media, but we respect his decision.

“We thought it was just a bit of fun, as did thousands of people, evidenced by how well it has been selling. Were it not for the synthetic outrage, the song would have generated a lot of money for charity, as profits were to be split with the Red Cross for their Ebola Outreach programme.”

“It’s a pity those so concerned with political correctness have trodden all over this.”

Read presented the Radio 1 breakfast show from 1981 to 1986, but is best remembered for refusing to play Relax by Frankie Goes to Hollywood on the BBC, because of its sexually suggestive lyrics.

The ban only served to boost sales of the song, prompting speculation on Twitter that Read’s attempt to withdraw his Ukip song from sale could have the same effect.

David Lammy, Labour MP for Tottenham, said of the of the song: “[If] we needed any more evidence of the Ukip leadership being tone-deaf elitists, then look no further.”

The song’s second line addresses the issue of immigration, saying: “Leaders committed a cardinal sin, open the borders let them all come in; illegal immigrants in every town, stand up and be counted Blair and Brown.”

It is not the first time Read has performed a political song. He rapped for 10 minutes during a dinner at a Conservative conference and expressed a desire to stand as the party’s candidate for London mayor in 2006.

Farage urged his followers to “help get the Ukip Calypso by the Independents to No 1”.Bookmaker Ladbrokes said they would refund all bets placed on the song topping the chart, describing the tune as a “bad idea from day one”.

Read’s song just failed to make the top 20 in the midweek rundown of the official singles chart, debuting at number 21 according to the list published on Wednesday. A spokesman said sales of the song to date would continue to contribute to the official top 40, despite Read’s decision to withdraw it.

It could mean another dilemma for the BBC over whether to include the song in its official top 40 programme on Radio 1 on Sunday, in a potential echo of the row over the anti-Thatcher protest song, Ding-Dong! The Witch is Dead.

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