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Darren Grimes was recently trending on social media after a screenshot of a tweet involving him went viral on X (formerly Twitter). As per the screenshot, Darren allegedly tweeted that the late singer Kirsty McColl could have performed at Shane McGowan’s funeral on December 8, 2023.
Following this, on December 9, Grimes issued a clarification stating that he reportedly received “an apology from a member of the King’s Counsel” for posting a fake tweet attributed to him. Grimes' statement said:
“Make no mistake, this is an attempt to discredit and defame me professionally and to silence my vote. I will not be silenced and I will not meekly take it either.”
After the screenshot went viral online, several netizens claimed that it was fake, citing differences in the font style. Some even demanded the screenshot's removal from X.
Darren Grimes is the founder of BeLeave
According to Pink News, Darren Grimes enrolled at the University of Brighton and later became a member of the Liberal Democrats. He is also the founder of a pro-Brexit youth group called BeLeave.
He also established Reasoned, a right-wing youth organization, in 2020 and reportedly requested people to come out to the public and share their "political views." He additionally worked on the promotions of Turning Point UK, which was endorsed by well-known faces after its launch.
GB News officially announced in December 2021 that Grimes was joining them for a show titled Real Britain. This happened after GB News suffered losses due to less viewership. Grimes announced through X in November 2022 that the show was ending, but he returned in April 2023.
Darren Grimes reportedly landed in trouble after interviewing historian David Starkey on his YouTube channel in 2020. David said at thе timе:
"Sl*vеry was not gеnocidе. Otherwise, there wouldn't be so many d*mn Blacks in Africa or in Britain, would there?"
Darren later shared a post on X, writing that he had not "caught" the comment and rejected everything Starkey said. Although the Metropolitan Police Department launched an investigation, Grimes was not charged.
Shane MacGowan’s funeral controversy explained
Darren Grimes became a target of the netizens after a screenshot of his alleged tweet went viral. This happened on the day of Shane MacGowan’s funeral on December 8, 2023, where Lisa O’Neill performed on the deceased singer’s single Fairytale of New York.
As per the viral screenshot, Darren allegedly opined that the late singer Kirsty McColl would have been a better choice instead of O'Neill. However, many netizens claimed that the tweet was fake. One of them also explained the entire thing by showing that the viral tweet had a font that is not used on X.
Netizens also requested that the post be removed since it was “spreading misinformation.”
For the unversed, Kirsty MacColl was known for her successful musical projects, including her five albums released between 1981 and 2000. According to The Guardian, Kirsty died in 2000 in a boating accident in Cozumel, Mexico.
The Express stated that Kirsty was hit by a speedboat traveling illegally, and it happened after she allegedly pushed away one of her sons to save him as he stood in the way of the boat.
