Manchester M-People star blasts Liz Truss for walking out to Moving On Up at Tory party conference

M People founder Mike Pickering has blasted the Conservatives for using the band’s hit single Moving On Up to introduce Prime Minister Liz Truss.

Ms Truss walked on stage in Birmingham to the Manchester band’s 1993 chart smash - to the surprise of Pickering.

He tweeted: “So apparently we can’t stop Truss walking out to our song, very weird! So sad it got used by this shower of a government. BTW Truss, Labour used it with permission in 90’s. I don’t want my song being a soundtrack to lies.”

He added singer Heather Small’s son was a Labour councillor and that his bandmates had rung him to ask how to stop the song being used, but were advised there wasn’t much they could do.

Moving Up On lyrics

Pickering and some others on social media queried whether the Tories had listened to the lyrics of the song, which include the lines: “ You’ve done me wrong, your time is up You took a sip from the devil’s cup You broke my heart, there’s no way back - Move right out of here, baby, go on pack your bags...”.

Pickering added: “I don’t know why they have used it. They are so useless at everything. Who knows?”

Ms Truss personally selected Moving On Up for her walk-on music, according to her press secretary.

The Prime Minister also faced further controversy at today’s conference when Greenpeace staged a protest during her speech.

Moving On Up peaked at number 2 in the UK music charts and was the band’s biggest selling single.