© Sony / Randee St Nicholas
The singer filmed the promo for her new single 'Criminal' in east London last week and was seen wielding a hand gun after raiding a shop.
British MPs were quick to criticise the star for the video's plotline, insisting that the shoot was ill-timed as it came just weeks after riots broke out in the area.
However, Spears's management told MTV: "The video is a fantasy story featuring Britney's boyfriend Jason Trawick, which literally plays out the lyrics of a song written three years before the riots ever happened."
'Criminal' is the fourth single to be lifted from Spears's multimillion-selling album Femme Fatale.
The 29-year-old will return to the UK in October as part of the European leg of her 'Femme Fatale' world tour.
> Britney Spears visits UK: 'I'm having a blast in London'
Listen to Britney Spears's new single 'Criminal' below:
