Brown: 'Jedward' talents lie outside singing

Gordon Brown offered an olive branch to X Factor's “Jedward” today, insisting they were “very good” at some things after publicly criticising their singing.

The British Prime Minister, who told ITV’s 'This Morning' he watched the show regularly with his children, conceded that he had “burned his boats” with the Grimes twins, John and Edward.

Labour last week followed up the Prime Minister’s jibe with a mocked-up poster of David Cameron and George Osborne as the Irish teenagers under the slogan: “You won’t be laughing if they win.”

The Tory leader had revealed that he found the twins’ performances – which have divided public opinion more than most acts on the show – addictive.

But asked about the show today, Mr Brown said that although they were not his favourites among the remaining contestants, John and Edward did have talent.

“I got into a bit of a problem because I said I did not think they were very good at singing but they are very good at other things,” he said.

“I don’t know who’s going to win but I rather burned my boats with Jedward.”

The Prime Minister said he shared his young sons’ view that Stacey Solomon was “very good”.

But he also appeared to reveal a gap in his knowledge of the contestants, when he added: “Daryl they like; Stacey they like.”

There is no contestant named Daryl and Downing Street confirmed that he was referring to Danyl Johnson.