Brit Awards 2024: The rise of Raye, Queen Kylie, and a red carpet giraffe: What everyone’s talking about after the Brits
When you break a record jointly held by three of the biggest British music acts of the last 30 years, you know you’re doing something right.
Before tonight’s Brit Awards, only three artist had ever won four prizes in one ceremony – Harry Styles last year, Adele in 2016, and Blur in 1995.
Raye, who just a few years ago was contemplating a very different future after leaving her record label, went not one but two better last night – picking up a history-making six trophies in total, including the big awards for best artist, best song and best album.
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Raye on ‘miracle’ night
Speaking to Sky News on the red carpet beforehand, she said she had been left “heartbroken” a few years ago and could only describe her multiple Brits nominations as “a miracle” – and this was before she had won a single prize.
Her Brits record caps an incredible year for the star, which started with her first number one single, Escapism featuring 070 Shake; this was followed by the release of her debut album, My 21st Century Blues, a Glastonbury performance, a Mercury Prize nomination, and Ivor Novello and MOBO awards.
Among the awards won by the star at this year’s Brits was the prize for best new artist, but in fact, despite only being 26, she has been around for quite a few years already.
Raye, whose real name is Rachel Keen, signed to Polydor Records as a teenager and later featured as a vocalist on top five hits by David Guetta and Jax Jones. She also wrote lyrics for the likes of Beyonce and Rihanna.
Despite her talent, her own solo work never seemed to get off the ground. From the outside, she appeared to be flying high with her collaborations, but in 2021 she released a series of tweets claiming she had been stifled and prevented from releasing her solo album.
The journey from ‘heartbreak’ to making history
Raye was joined by her grandmother, Agatha, on the Brits stage as she collected her final award. Pic: PA
“Imagine this pain. I have been signed to a major label since 2014… and I have had albums on albums of music sat in folders collecting dust, songs I am now giving away to A list artists because I am still awaiting confirmation that I am good enough to release an album,” she posted.
“I’m done being a polite pop star. I want to make my album now, please that is all I want.”
By the end of 2022 she had struck out on her own and her dance track Escapism featuring US rapper 070 Shake had gone viral on TikTok.
At the beginning of 2023, the song topped the UK charts. “[I feel] like anything is possible and I was right to back myself,” she told Sky News at the time. “Never give up on your dreams. For someone who [felt] so, like, mediocre and… such a disappointment, actually, for so long, to just receive all the affirmation in the world that I was right to back my music is just…
“For someone who puts words together for a living, I don’t necessarily really have the best words to describe how crazy this is.”
Escapism went on to win the award for best contemporary song at the Ivor Novello Awards. Now, it is song of the year at the Brits – one of six gongs for Raye in 2024, and it feels like this is just the beginning.
Read more on the Brits:
The best of the Brits red carpet
Kylie the global icon to Raye’s record – the Brits as it happened
Raye on the fight for her album: ‘It’s been a real wild journey’
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Kylie Minogue reflects on her career
‘The eternal Queen of Pop’
Back in 1987, everybody was doing a brand new dance now – who would have thought back then that Kylie would still be leading the way almost 40 years later?
The 55-year-old Australian megastar has sold more than 80 million records worldwide and in 2020 became the first female artist to score a number one album in five consecutive decades in the UK.
Could there have been a more worthy global icon?
Speaking to Sky News on the red carpet before the ceremony, she reflected on her lifetime of “chipping away” in the industry, “and just learning the craft… that’s an achievement I’m really proud of – highs and lows and everything in between”.
She also recalled her “ultimate” Brits moment – “being ejected from a CD player” for her Blue Monday mash-up of Can’t Get You Out Of My Head in 2002, and added: “The Brits are always fun and I did not imagine all those years ago that I would be having a night like tonight.”
On stage, she was announced as “quite simply, the eternal Queen of Pop” – and she showed exactly why that is with a performance including a medley of songs and several costume changes.
Across her career, Minogue has had seven UK number one singles, including Spinning Around and Can’t Get You Out Of My Head. Last year, she announced her first Las Vegas residency and released her 16th studio album, Tension – including the viral dance hit Padam Padam.
Girl power
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Dua Lipa: ‘We need more girl energy’
Female stars dominated this year’s Brits, and not just because of Raye (although her six wins definitely helped).
Of the 17 prizes dished out this year, 12 were won by female acts – among them, Dua Lipa, who picked up the prize for best pop act, and also opened the show with a high energy, acrobatics-infused performance of her latest single, Training Season.
“It’s wonderful to see so many incredible female artists, who I love and I admire and I listen to their music,” Lipa told Sky News on the red carpet before the show. “To be alongside them feels really special. We need more girl energy!”
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Raye makes Brits history with six gongs
Lipa’s Brits win comes after the huge success of her recent single Dance The Night, from the Barbie soundtrack – and also a cameo in the film.
Charli XCX, who was up for best pop act alongside Lipa, also spoke about this being a strong year for for the female nominees when she chatted to Sky News on the red carpet – giving a shout-out to Raye, saying she was “so happy” to see an independent female artist taking the reins and showing others how to do it.
Post Office scandal victim presents award
Pic: James Manning/PA
Hosted by Maya Jama, Clara Amfo and Roman Kemp, the majority of the ceremony was a light-hearted affair, with skits including a kisscam and The Traitors mother and son stars Diane and Ross revealing their predictions.
But there was a serious note ahead of the first award of the night, which was presented by Jo Hamilton, a former subpostmistress who was a victim of the Horizon IT scandal, and actress Monica Dolan, who portrayed her in ITV’s hit series Mr Bates vs The Post Office.
Mrs Hamilton, 66, told the crowd at the O2 Arena: “I want to thank everyone in the country for the love and the support they have given the postmasters. Please can you keep on supporting us because, despite what the government says, they’re not paying the postmasters.”
Rob Beckett turns up as a giraffe
It’s called fashion, look it up. Pic: Ian West/PA
That’s it, that’s the story. Comedian Rob Beckett turned up on the red carpet dressed in an inflatable giraffe suit.
We can confirm that Green Day in particular were very taken with him, posing for photographs on the red carpet right in front of the Sky News spot.
The reasons behind Beckett’s sartorial choice are unconfirmed, but we suspect it may have something to do with his recently announced upcoming tour, titled Giraffe. Yes, that’s probably it.
Publicity stunt or not, we really, really hope he made all the best-dressed lists.
UK
Rishi Sunak does not rule out July general election – but insists ‘there’ll be a clear choice’ when it comes
Rishi Sunak has failed to rule out holding a general election in July, as speculation remains rife over the timing of the national vote.
The prime minister has repeatedly said his “working assumption” is the election would take place in the second half of this year – with the law stating January 2025 is the latest he could call it.
But while many commentators have predicted an autumn vote, Sky News’ Trevor Phillips put to Mr Sunak that it could mean as early as July.
Analysis: Sunak needs to learn voters aren’t always governed by the logic of the computer
“Well, look, when it comes to a general election, I’ve been very clear about that multiple times,” the prime minister said.
“And again, I’m not going to say anything more than I’ve already said, I’ve been very clear about that.”
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
In his interview – which will air in full on Sunday at 8.30am – Trevor Phillips pushed Mr Sunak five times over whether he would rule out a July general election, but the Conservative leader refused to confirm or deny if it could take place then.
“You’re going to try and draw whatever conclusion you want from what I say,” he said. “I’m going to always try and say the same thing. You should just listen to what I said, [the] same thing I’ve said all year.
“But the point is… there’s a choice when it comes to the general election. And look, over the past week or so… the country can have a very clear sense of what that difference is going to look like.”
Watch live each week on Sunday at 8:30am on Sky channel 501, Freeview 233, Virgin 602, the Sky News website and app or YouTube.
Outlining his recent commitments to overhauling the welfare system, cutting taxes and increasing defence spending, as well as finally getting his Rwanda bill through parliament in an effort to tackle small boat crossings, Mr Sunak said: “That is the substance of what this government is about and what it’s going to do in the future.
“And when the election comes, there’ll be a clear choice, because the Labour Party has tried to frustrate our Rwanda bill, because they don’t believe in stopping the boats, their economic plan will put people’s taxes up.
“They haven’t said that they will invest more in our defence and they certainly don’t agree with reforming our welfare system to support people into work.”
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Labour has said it wants to match the hike in defence spending when the financial circumstances allow, and has promised to scrap the Rwanda bill if it gets into power.
This week, its pre-election focus has been on railways, promising to renationalise train operators and “sweep away” the current “broken” model if the party wins the next election.
Watch Rishi Sunak’s full interview on Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips at 8.30am
Conservative MP and former health minister Dan Poulter has defected to Labour in frustration at the worsening NHS crisis.
The MP for Suffolk Central and Ipswich North, with a majority of 23,391 at the last election, has indicated he is not planning to stand at the next general election.
The defection was revealed in an article on The Observer website, in which he said working as a mental health doctor in a busy hospital A&E over the past year had shown him how desperate the NHS situation had become.
“Working on the frontline of a health service under great strain left me at times, as an MP, struggling to look my NHS colleagues, my patients and my constituents in the eye,” he said.
He recalled seriously ill patients suffering long waits for treatment often hundreds of miles from their homes, adding that the “chaos of today’s fragmented patchwork of community addiction services” had put more pressure on already-stretched A&Es.
“The mental toll of a service stretched close to breaking point is not confined to patients and their families. It also weighs heavily on my NHS colleagues who are unable to deliver the right care in a system that simply no longer works for our patients.”
He said he had resigned from the Conservative Party to focus on his work as a doctor and to support Keir Starmer.
“I can well remember when I first qualified as a doctor and began working in the NHS in 2006. At the time, patient care had been radically improved and transformed by Tony Blair and Gordon Brown’s Labour governments, following many years of Conservative neglect and under-investment.
“…I have come to the conclusion that, once again, the only cure is a Labour government.”
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said he was “really pleased” to welcome Dr Poulter to his party. File pic: PA
Dr Poulter criticised the Tories for “putting the politics of public sector pay ahead of ending strikes with healthcare workers”, adding: “Political ideology has been put before pragmatism and meeting the needs of patients, who are the real losers from the strikes”.
He also told The Observer the Conservatives had become “a nationalist party of the right” in the last eight years.
“It is not to say all [Tory] MPs are like that,” he said.
“There are good MPs, but it feels that the party is ever moving rightwards, ever presenting a more nationalist position.”
The Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer celebrated the defection on social media, tweeting: “It’s time to end the Conservative chaos, turn the page, and get Britain’s future back. I’m really pleased that Dan has decided to join us on this journey.”
Sky’s Jon Craig called the defection a “disastrous blow for the Conservatives and a massive propaganda coup for Labour”.
However, two councillors in Dr Poulter’s constituency seemed glad to see him go.
Councillor Samantha Murray said in a post on X that the local Conservative Party “have had to carry him for years”.
Councillor Ian Fisher posted: “Was campaigning this morning and he didn’t even have the decency to tell his hard-working activists in advance. A very self-centered man.”
Stop the boats? Sunak needs to stop the rot in the Tory party
Dr Poulter isn’t just any backbencher, which is what makes his defection to Labour all the more damaging for the prime minister and the Tory high command.
He’s an NHS doctor who’s worked in mental health services and was a junior health minister from 2012-15 when David Cameron was prime minister.
Alongside the formidable Mr Streeting, the dashing doctor will be a powerful advocate for Labour on the NHS.
Stop the boats? After the “honeytrap” MP scandal and the fiasco of the “bad people” MP, this calamitous defection from a high-profile and highly-respected MP, Mr Sunak needs to stop the rot in the Conservative Party.
Read more: Stop the boats? Rishi Sunak needs to stop the rot in the Conservative party
A Conservative Party spokesperson responded to the resignation by saying the news would be “disappointing” for Dr Poulter’s constituents.
“Under the Conservatives we are raising NHS funding to a record £165bn a year, helping it recover from the effects of the pandemic and driving forward its first-ever long-term workforce plan so that we train the doctors and nurses we need for the future in our country.
“Thanks to our plan, we have already virtually eliminated the longest waits and overall waiting lists have fallen by 200,000 in the last five months – and we will go further to make sure everyone gets the world-class care they need.”
Migrants travelling to Ireland after arriving in the UK on small boats is a sign the Rwanda scheme is already working as a deterrent, Rishi Sunak has said.
Sky News’s Trevor Phillips asked the prime minister if migrants finding their way to Ireland was a sign the UK was “exporting the problem”.
Ireland’s deputy prime minister Micheal Martin said on Friday the threat of being deported to Rwanda had caused an influx of migrants to cross the border from Northern Ireland into the Republic.
In his interview – which will air in full on Sky’s Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips show tomorrow at 8.30am – Mr Sunak was asked about the comments, saying they illustrated “the deterrent is… already having an impact”.
“People are worried about coming here and that demonstrates exactly what I’m saying,” he said. “If people come to our country illegally, but know that they won’t be able to stay there, they are much less likely to come, and that’s why the Rwanda scheme is so important.”
Downing Street on Friday rebuffed claims the Rwanda plan was already influencing movements into Ireland, saying it was too early to jump to conclusions on its impact.
Mr Sunak said the comments also illustrate “that illegal migration is a global challenge”.
“[That] is why you’re seeing multiple countries talk about doing third country partnerships, looking at novel ways to solve this problem, and I believe will follow where the UK has led,” he said.
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Mr Martin told The Daily Telegraph that the policy was already affecting Ireland, as people were “fearful” of staying in the UK.
Ireland’s deputy prime minister said: “Maybe that’s the impact it was designed to have.”
Mr Martin, who is also Ireland’s foreign minister, said asylum seekers were looking “to get sanctuary here and within the European Union as opposed to the potential of being deported to Rwanda”.
Read more:
Anti-immigrant camp in Dublin ‘not about racism’, residents say
Danger for Sunak if new Act does not stop boats
On the Safety of Rwanda Bill, which finally became law this week after so-called “ping pong” between the Commons and the House of Lords, Mr Sunak said a deterrent was the only way to stop the boats.
“We did just have an important moment this week that in spite of all the opposition from the Labour Party we have passed the Rwanda bill through Parliament in the face of enormous opposition,” he told Sir Trevor.
“That’s important because the only way to fully solve this problem is to have a deterrent, so that if people come to a country illegally, they’re not able to stay, and we can return them.”
Refugee groups in Ireland admit that the threat of being deported to Rwanda is, as the Irish government claims, driving migrants across the border from Northern Ireland into the Republic.
Nick Henderson of the Irish Refugee Council told Sky News: “As long as there is a Rwanda policy and the Illegal Migration Act which states that somebody can’t lodge an application for asylum in the UK and have it considered if they enter in an irregular way, it’s going to have knock-on effects on Ireland, that’s plain to see.”
Now that the Rwanda legislation has finally become law, Tory MPs believe the PM can no longer blame his political opponents in parliament, in the Commons and the Lords, if it fails to stop the boats.
The danger for Mr Sunak, even his supporters concede, is that even if planes do take off for Rwanda this summer and some migrants head for Ireland, it may not stop the tide of more illegal migrants crossing the channel.
His comments came after Ireland’s justice minister told a committee of the Irish Parliament she estimates more than 80% of migrants in the Republic had crossed from Northern Ireland.
The UK’s prime minister told Trevor Phillips his focus “is on the United Kingdom and securing our border”.
Read more:
What impact will bill have on immigration?
Sunak staking premiership on Rwanda flights plan
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
The Safety of Rwanda Bill became an Act on Thursday, with Number 10 announcing the same day that the first deportation plane had been booked.
After a number of setbacks and delays, the bill passed in parliament earlier this week and then received royal assent, with Home Secretary James Cleverly hailing the approval as a “landmark moment in our plan to stop the boats”.
Anticipating the bill’s passage, the prime minister earlier this week promised the first flights would take off in 10 to 12 weeks – “come what may”.
Watch the full interview on Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips at 8.30am
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