The millionaire X Factor judge, 31, said the mansion tax for the rich would “f*** her over” but a source close to the star insists she would never vote for David Cameron
Cheryl Fernandez-Versini has come a long way from the terraced council house she grew up in – admitting the planned mansion tax would hit her hard.
The millionaire X Factor judge, 31, said the charge for the rich would “f*** her over”.
But she insisted she still supported Labour – and the tax – and would never vote for David Cameron.
In a magazine interview Cheryl says: “It’s hard for me, because all my friends and family vote Labour.
"I’ve always been Labour all my life, but I want to hear what they’ve got to say for myself.
“Now I’m a mature woman, I feel a greater responsibility to vote for who runs our country.
“And I pay a f****** lot of tax. So I think that I need to have a really well-informed, well-educated opinion.”
She added: “There are big downsides that come with having money. As many as with not having money. I mean, they’re different types of stresses, but they’re both stresses.”
Labour argues the tax on properties worth £2million or more is desperately needed to help pay for thousands more NHS doctors and nurses.
And a source for Cheryl said that while she had not discussed the tax in the interview with the Sunday Telegraph’s Stella magazine – out this weekend – she backed the plan, which will hit her in the pocket.
The source said: “Cheryl believes that if you can afford a £2million house then you can afford to pay a mansion tax of a few thousand pounds a year.
"Cheryl believes in that and she believes you should pay your taxes.
“She grew up on benefits and she believes in public services. She understands how important they are.
"The mansion tax is going to help fund the NHS – the health service saved her life when she had malaria, so she’s in favour of anything that will help it.”
When asked by the right-wing magazine if she would consider voting for Tory Prime Minister Mr Cameron, Cheryl said: “Not really. I want to hear what everyone’s got to say.”
And she insisted on Twitter that she would still back Ed Miliband’s party, declaring: “I am a Labour supporter.”
The source added: “She would never vote for Cameron.”
The I Don’t Care singer has previously been pictured with top Labour figures, including Mr Miliband and former Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
She grew up in a terraced council house in Newcastle but, according to the Sunday Times Rich List, is now worth at least £16million.
North East Labour MP Grahame Morris said: “I really like Cheryl, and think deep down she understands the importance of maintaining a sense of common purpose.”
He said the only solution to the NHS crisis was to ask the rich to pay a little more to fund staff.
He said: “There is a basic idea of fairness, where those with the most wealth pay a bit more to maintain vital public services.
"The alternative is the burden falls on the poor, the sick and the disabled.”
But the mansion tax has drawn fury from some mega-rich celebrities who do not want to pay the higher rate.
Singer Myleene Klass said £2million would only buy you “a garage” in some parts of London and ex-footballer Sol Campbell was so angry he said he wanted to be a Tory MP.
But a Labour spokesman said the tax was vital.
He said: “It will help fund 20,000 more nurses, 8,000 more GPs, 5,000 more care workers and 3,000 more midwives.
"It would apply to fewer than 0.5% of homes. We believe it is right to ask those who have most to make a bigger contribution.”
It came as Labour launched its first election campaign poster, warning of the danger five more years of Tory rule would pose.
Above an X-ray image of a broken leg, the poster states: “Next time, they’ll cut to the bone. The NHS can’t afford the Tory cuts plan.”
In this week’s Budget, Chancellor George Osborne pledged even tougher cuts.
But Labour’s Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls said: “It would mean deeper spending cuts in the next three years than the last five years.
"In 2018 spending on public services as a share of national income will be at its lowest since 1938.
“The cuts to services like police, defence and social care would be so deep they’d be almost impossible to achieve.
"People will conclude that to make their sums add up, the Tories will end up cutting our NHS.”