A folk group have been disqualified from the BBC Radio 3 Awards for World Music because judges fear their anti-war song will have an unfair advantage after anti-war groups started urged their supporters to vote for it.
Stephen Whittle, BBC head of editorial policy, told reporters that "It was clear from the voting process that the votes for Seize the Day were motivated and organised for political reasons. This is meant to be a musical not a political vote."
But the band, who say they haven't been actively lobbying anti-war groups for votes, say they have been disqualified because they are “too political”. The band's manager Louise Somerville-Williams told reporters: "We feel extremely wounded that they are damaging the band's reputation for integrity and honesty."