Sun hits back at Russell Brand legal threat with ‘hypocrite’ poll – and slams Newsnight for airing his ‘inane rants’

The Sun has hit back at comedian Russell Brand after he announced plans to sue the paper for calling him a hypocrite – by publishing a poll showing the public think he is a hypocrite.

The newspaper today publishes a YouGov poll showing that 68 per cent of the public believe Brand is a hypocrite, and 64 per cent think he’s not funny.

The poll was based on the opinions of 574 UK adults surveyed yesterday.

This comes after The Sun’s front page on Wednesday accused the comedian of hypocrisy for campaigning "sky-high rents and tax dodgers" while “paying a tax-avoiding landlord £76,200 a year for a luxury home".

Brand, who on Tuesday described Channel 4 News reporter Paraic O’Brien as a "snide" for asking him about the value of his home (video below), then threatened to sue The Sun.

He said: "Hey @TheSunNewspaper, @rupertmurdoch I'm gonna sue you and give the money to #NewEraEstate and JFT96."

Earlier this year, Brand won a libel payout from The Sun on Sunday over another front page story alleging he had cheated on his girlfriend, Jemima Khan.

After The Sun’s latest front page story, Brand said on Twitter: “Phwoar! @TheSunNewspaper where d'ya get this stat? Liverpool? Hacking into dead children's phones?”

In its report, The Sun points out that Brand has recently “railed against Page 3 – despite once writing for The Sun and accepting a Shagger of the Year award from us”.

In its editorial on the subject, The Sun also criticised the BBC – which it has also been feuding with this week.

It asks: “[I]f the public sees through Brand why has the BBC fallen over itself to give him airtime?

“His inane rants might fit on late night BBC3.

“But Newsnight debates, with Jeremy Paxman and Evan Davis?

“The answer is Brand spouts outdated left wing dogma while enjoying the lifestyle of the rich and privileged.

“And that chimes with the BBC’s very own Brand of two-faced politics.”

Yesterday, the BBC press office tweeted pictures of comments on The Sun's coverage of the corporation this week (see below).