Elton John lashes out at Starmer's government over copyright law to benefit AI: "It's a criminal plan."

Singer Elton John has admitted to feeling "incredibly betrayed" by Starmer's government over the bill relaxing copyright laws in favor of artificial intelligence companies.

The Lords of the Upper House of Parliament extensively amended the text of Keir Starmer's Labour government to better protect artists, but MPs voted against these changes. This bill "is criminal, I feel incredibly betrayed," Elton John told the BBC.

The star, who had supported Labour in the July 2024 election, accused them of wanting to "strip young artists of their assets and income." "These members of this government are absolute losers, I'm furious," commented the 78-year-old singer, who says he's ready to "fight to the bitter end" and sue them, if necessary, for this "large-scale theft."

The government's draft proposal proposes an exception to copyright law that would make it easier for AI companies to use content for commercial purposes. If the law is passed, they will no longer need to obtain permission from authors or remunerate them. The amendment, voted on by the Lords and then rejected by MPs in the Labour-led House of Commons, required artists to give their permission before any use of their work and to be informed of any use made of it.

This project faces strong opposition from the cultural world . Elton John had signed an open letter a few days ago, along with Paul McCartney, Dua Lipa, Coldplay, and more than 400 other artists, calling for the defense of copyright.

The government argued that the Lords' amendments interfered with a pending AI and Copyright Bill. Under-Secretary of State for Technology Maggie Jones also expressed concern about a "real risk" that AI innovators would refrain from developing their services in the UK if they were subjected to too many "obligations."

The Labour government hopes to make the UK a "world leader" in AI . In mid-January, it announced a plan aimed at attracting AI companies by allowing them to test their innovations before any regulation.