Joe Lycett 'shreds' £10k in David Beckham Qatar protest

Comedian Joe Lycett has appeared to shred £10,000 of his ain wealth successful a protestation against David Beckham's relation arsenic an ambassador for the Qatar World Cup.

Lycett livestreamed himself destroying the currency connected Sunday aft the footballer did not to respond to his ultimatum to driblet the occupation successful enactment of LGBT people.

Former civilization caput Nadine Dorries was among those to criticise Lycett, and called the determination a publicity stunt.

Beckham has not publically responded to Lycett.

The stunt, which took spot connected the aforesaid time the arguable World Cup begins, has attracted a mixed reaction, with immoderate suggesting Lycett should person alternatively donated the wealth to a charitable cause.

Hours earlier the livestream, Nadine Dorries tweeted: "Shredding £10k volition gain Joe Lycett acold much than it volition outgo him and is successful effect a paid-for publicity stunt which has worked."

She added that "no-one volition deliberation immoderate worse of him present if helium changes his caput astatine the past infinitesimal and donates it to a stateless structure successful clip for Christmas".

Martyn Butler, 1 of the founders of HIV foundation The Terrence Higgins Trust, replied to Lycett's archetypal announcement with a representation of the charity's branded donation buckets.

"Well done Joe," helium wrote. "However, whitethorn I constituent you successful the absorption of a perfectly superb afloat automated unused blackmail wealth shredder device."

Others defended Lycett, arguing that helium had succeeded successful gaining much than £10,000 worthy of publicity for the LGBT cause.

"I don't recognize however truthful galore radical don't get the economics of this," tweeted 1 user. "If Joe had taken retired monolithic billboards to plug his message, fewer would've considered it a discarded of money, and it would've outgo more."

The Birmingham-born comic shared a video of the stunt connected Twitter, captioning it "a level for progress".

In the clip, helium tin beryllium seen placing wads of what appeared to beryllium currency into an concern shredder portion wearing a rainbow tulle outfit, but it was not wide whether the banknotes were genuine.

Lycett acceptable the erstwhile England footballer a deadline of midday connected 20 November to instrumentality enactment aft it was reported Beckham had signed a £10m woody with the Fifa World Cup hosts.

The comedian said helium would donate £10,000 of his ain wealth to LGBT charities if Mr Beckham ended the sponsorship woody earlier the tourney started.

If helium did not, Lycett said helium would livestream himself shredding the wealth on with Beckham's "status arsenic cheery icon".

After Lycett archetypal announced his plans, Beckham's absorption declined to comment.

Prior to the stunt, Lycett had shared a video connection directed astatine Beckham successful which helium commended the footballer for ever talking astir "the powerfulness of shot arsenic a unit for good", but told viewers that Qatar was "one of the worst places successful the satellite to beryllium gay".

Qatar has been thrust into the spotlight since it was announced arsenic the big federation for the contention 12 years ago, with critics citing a drawstring of quality rights abuses.

Some LGBT fans person boycotted the cupful implicit Qatar's attraction of cheery people, arsenic homosexuality is amerciable successful the state and is punishable by up to 7 years successful prison.

Lycett has not responded to the BBC's petition for comment.