Singer Morrissey has found himself at the centre of a race row after allegedly commenting Britain had lost its identity due to immigration.
The former Smiths star reportedly told the NME that the high level of immigration was one of the reasons he no longer wished to live in England.
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The singer's manager has accused the NME of an "attempt at character assassination" on the 48-year-old.
The magazine quoted Morrissey allegedly saying: "Although I don't have anything against people from other countries, the higher the influx into England the more the British identity disappears. So the price is enormous."
"If you travel to Germany, it's still absolutely Germany. If you travel to Sweden, it still has a Swedish identity. But travel to England and you have no idea where you are," the singer is reported to have said.
In a follow-up interview, the NME reported that Morrissey had retracted his earlier comments, saying: "It could be construed that the reason I wouldn't wish to live in England is the immigration explosion. And that's not true at all."
"There are other reasons why I would find England very difficult, such as the expense and the pressure," he said.
He is alleged to have added that he did not think his comments were inflammatory, but were "a statement of fact".
Morrissey's lawyers have demanded an apology from the NME for suggesting the singer is racist.
They have threatened to begin legal action against the magazine and its editor, Conor McNichols, if a retraction is not published later today.
(BBC)
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