Paul McCartney has said that the current furore surrounding horsemeat is “scandalous” but “not surprising” and has left him feeling vindicated over his decision to become a vegetarian 30 years ago.

McCartney, who recently starred in an animated advert for his late wife Linda’s vegetarian food range, spoke to The Guardian in the wake of supermarket chains such as Tesco and food giant Findus being shamed following revelations that some of their ready meals which claim to contain beef were found to consist of up to 100 per cent horsemeat. “It is scandalous,” McCartney said, “even if it’s no big surprise. I don’t like to preach, but I think I was right 30 years ago to change my eating habits.”

“I don’t think the industry will be able to regulate itself. When there’s this sort of thing going on, like with the banking scandal, you do hope there’ll be some regulations, so people can believe what they’re told.”

Meanwhile, Johnny Marr revealed this week that he nearly joined Paul McCartney’s live band in the ’80s after he left The Smiths.

“I didn’t do a recording session with him as such, but we did get together for a good, long, eight or nine-hour day and just played and played and played very intensely, really loudly. Which was pretty great, obviously. He was pretty good!” Marr said.

“He can play that bass and sing pretty well, I must say. That was a fun time. That was pretty much the first thing I did when The Smiths stopped being together. I’ve seen him a couple of times since. We’ve not played together, but he’s always very friendly and very gracious.”