D:Ream's hit 'Things Can Only Get Better' hits number 6 on iTunes chart after anti-Brexit campaigner Steve Bray the barked Work anthem about Rishi's election announcement.
The song, which was adopted by the Tony Blair during the 1997 landslide campaign, rose up the charts after drowning out the Prime Minister in 1997. Downing Street yesterday.
As Rishi confirmed the date of the by-poll and delivered his speech in the pouring rain, the tune could be heard in the background from outside the gates of Whitehall.
The song has been steadily climbing the charts since last night, initially debuting at number nine not long after the snap election was announced.
Speaking in the rain outside Number 10 after an extraordinary day of rumours, Mr Sunak pointed out that inflation is 'back to normal' and that he is 'holding the boats back'.
D:Ream's hit 'Things Can Only Get Better' is currently at number six in the UK iTunes chart, after debuting at number 9 last night
Tony Blair makes his first speech outside Downing Street after winning a landslide victory in the 1997 general election
Steve Bray was seen playing the tune from a speaker outside Downing Street during the Prime Minister's speech today
It beat out 'song of the summer' Espresso, from Sabrina Carpenter and Post Malone's most recent foray into country music.
Peter Cunnah, singer of D:ream (photo) sang the hit Things Can Only Get Better during various live rallies
The band was formed in 1992 and released two successful albums before splitting up in 1997
Anti-Brexit campaigner Steve Bray's stunt failed to deter Sunak.
Mr Bray was the Liberal Democrat candidate for Cynon Valley, South Wales, at the last election.
The sound was clearly heard over the Prime Minister's speech on news bulletins. Although it went out, this was due to rain damaging the speakers and not due to police intervention.
Mr Bray, known as Stop Brexit Man, wrote on social media afterwards: 'We had a good run in Downing Street but both amps are soaked and blown. They lasted for the moment that mattered.”
He later added: 'The police have just served me with a warrant banning me from every street around Whitehall and Parliament. Apparently two people complained. Probably Rishi Sunak and his wife.'
As police tried to remove him from the scene, the protester compared Britain to North Korea and told officers it was his right to protest outside Downing Street before eventually leaving with his speakers.
Steve Bray is a staunch anti-Conservative and anti-Brexit protester and has been playing loud music outside Westminster for several years
Snap election rumors swept Westminster before Rishi Sunak pulled the trigger and announced the snap 4th of July election
This isn't the first time Bray has used music to campaign against the Conservatives.
He has been playing music up to 90 decibels in Westminster for several years, despite clashes with MPs and the police. He tried to disrupt Boris Johnson's farewell speech outside Number 10 in 2022 by bringing up the Benny Hill theme.
Despite Mr Bray's protest, Mr Sunak pointed out that inflation is 'back to normal' and said he was 'holding the boats back' in his speech.
'The question now is how and who you trust to turn that foundation into a safe future. This is the moment for Britain to decide its future,” he said.
The song that attempted to drown out the Prime Minister's announcement was originally sung by a Northern Irish pop and dance group including Peter Cunnah, Al Mackenzie and Professor Brian Cox on keyboards.
The band formed in 1992 and originally released their hit song in 1993.
After supporting Take That on their tour, Things Can Only Get Better was re-released and reached the number one spot before being picked up by the Labor Party.
It proved so popular that the Tories tried to stop Radio 1 from playing the anthem because the band donated their royalties to Blair's party.
Singer Cunnah even sang the song live during various gatherings.
He also starred in a political broadcast in which voters went to the polls on a sunny day, led by a mysterious man in a light blue shirt, who was revealed at the end to be Blair himself.
The band's two 90s albums reached the top five in Britain and the group won a British Best Single in 1995, but despite their success they split in 1997.
After more than ten years, Cunnah and Mckenzie reunited after a chance meeting and released a new studio album in 2021. This year they will perform on the Glade stage of the Glastonbury Festival.
And although the song became synonymous with Labour's 1997 victory, pop star and physicist Cox has since revealed that he doesn't think he would borrow the band's music for a political campaign in the future.
The great success of the New Labor campaign song is not the first time that music and politics have mixed.
In 2013, following the death of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, 'Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead' rose up the charts but failed to reach the top spot.
The recording, from the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, reached number two in the charts. Music has also proven important for campaigning politicians.
When Theresa May took the stage at the Tory party conference in October 2018, few were prepared for what was to come.
The The Prime Minister entered the conference hall in Birmingham to the sound of ABBA's iconic song Dancing Queen – and life imitated art.
The Conservative leader did exactly what she wanted: with her arms outstretched and a big grin on her face, Mrs May's movements had the audience in the room screaming with laughter and she was soon dubbed the 'Maybot'.
The July 4 date will require the planned semi-annual recess next week to be canceled due to the so-called “washing up” of the legislation.
It will be the first July election since 1945, when Clement Attlee's Labor defeated Winston Churchill's Tories.