Simple Minds star Jim Kerr is suing Vodafone for £3.5 million after they scrapped a deal to use the band's hit Don't You (Forget About Me) in a TV advert. The phone giants commissioned Kerr to come up with a new version of the pop classic for the Italian commercial.

But after the group spent two weeks working on it, Vodafone said the deal was off and they would be using the Dido chart-topper White Flag.

Furious Kerr said: "These companies have got to learn to respect people, above all artists who they have asked to work for them. We spent two weeks in a studio in London working on it and everything seemed to be going fine. Vodafone were happy and pleased that we had agreed to work with them. They were even talking about possible sponsorship for a tour in Italy."

"Then, just as we were about to finish, Vodafone contact us to say they wanted White Flag."

No one at Vodafone was available for comment.

Daily Star
January 26th 2004