'The Voice is one big label advert' says Tory MP

BBC1 talent show The Voice has come under fire from Conservative MP Philip Davies, who claims the show is 'a very expensive advert' for Universal records.

The winner of the talent show lands a deal with the industry giant, and three of the four judges on the show are already signed to Universal.

"The BBC has paid a fortune for The Voice. This now looks to be a very expensive advert for the record company, which not only gets a heavily-promoted winner but also a boost for its existing artists," says Davies, a Tory backbencher and MP for Shipley, West Yorkshire.

"The BBC appears to be using this format as a spoiler to sabotage ITV's success with Britain's Got Talent," he added. "I don't think this is what the BBC should be doing."

The BBC have responded to the claims with an official statement, saying: "In casting the coaches we spoke to the biggest stars in the music industry regardless of the labels they were attached to. Two of three major labels are represented on the panel and throughout the series other labels will continue to be represented."

Jessie J, will.i.am and Tom Jones are signed to Universal. Fellow judge, The Script frontman Danny O'Donoghue is signed to rival Sony.