NME delivers public apology to Morrissey over article that made him 'seem racist and unreasonable'

The NME has delivered a public apology to Morrissey over an article which, the singer claimed, suggested he was racist.

The magazine has reached a settlement with the former Smiths singer over the long-running libel case which was sparked by an article published in 2007.

No legal costs or damages have been paid, the publication said, other than a small sum following an unsuccessful attempt by the NME to have the case struck out last year.

A spokeswoman for the magazine said it was “pleased it has buried the hatchet” with the singer, who last year won the right to take the case to the High Court.

The NME said in a statement: “After an on-going dialogue with Morrissey and his representatives, NME today publishes a clarification in the magazine and online which makes it clear that we do not believe we ever called Morrissey a racist and nor do we believe he is. We have said sorry to Morrissey for any misunderstanding that may have arisen.”

The original article, titled Morrissey: Big Mouth Strikes Again, quoted the singer allegedly saying: “Although I don't have anything against people from other countries, the higher the influx into England the more the British identity disappears.”

He was also quoted as saying: “the gates of England are flooded. The country's been thrown away.”

Morrissey claimed the interview had been “chopped, snipped and split” by the then NME editor to make him “seem racist and unreasonable”.

The NME now hopes to rebuild relations with the singer, who planned to fly to London between European tour dates to give evidence at a High Court hearing next month. A spokesman said: “We never set out to upset Morrissey and we hope we can both get back to doing what we do best.”