Blunt: 'Press should stop following Britney'

James Blunt has hit out at the media for reporting on Britney Spears's habit of not wearing knickers.

Speaking at a gig in New York, the singer said Spears was a "phenomenal artist" but people should be talking about her career rather than her underwear.

He told the New York Daily News: "I think when you put the emphasis on her knickers and not on her talent, you lose perspective. It really detracts, as a whole, from things that are really important, like global warming and war.

"Sending paparazzi to investigate things like this is useless. We're better than that; we have the power to teach and educate. Let's spend our time on that."

Blunt screened war footage from his time in the army during the concert.