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What has Britney Spears said about her father’s involvement in conservatorship?

Britney Spears has long called for her father to be removed from his role overseeing her career.

And she could be about to get her wish – her lawyer has asked a judge in Los Angeles to have Jamie, 69, immediately removed from the conservatorship and replaced with a temporary appointment.

Jamie has controlled the singer’s estimated 60 million dollar (£44 million) estate since 2008, when she was placed under the complex legal arrangement which is usually reserved for the very old or infirm.

Britney Spears conservatorship
Britney Spears could finally see her father removed from her conservatorship during a hearing on Wednesday (PA)

Spears has become increasingly forthright in her demands for Jamie to step aside, something he agreed to do in August.

A judge will have to sign off on the move, possibly on Wednesday at a court in Los Angeles. The hearing comes after years of public and private calls from Spears.

In June, The New York Times said it had obtained confidential court records showing Spears had objected to her father’s stewardship of the conservatorship as early as 2014.

The singer’s court-appointed lawyer, Samuel D Ingham, is said to have revealed his client wanted Jamie removed as conservator due to a “shopping list” of grievances, including his drinking.

In November 2020, those concerns were made public.

Britney Spears UK tour launch
Britney Spears has had her life and career controlled by a conservatorship since 2008 (PA)

In an open hearing, Mr Ingham said Spears was afraid of her father and would not perform again while he oversaw her estate.

They had no “viable working relationship”, the court heard, and had not spoken in a “long while”.

June brought an explosive development in the case.

Spears addressed the court personally, delivering damning testimony over a stunning 23 minutes.

“This conservatorship is doing me way more harm than good,” she said. “I deserve to have a life, I’ve worked my whole life. I deserve to have a two to three-year break.”

Mother-of-two Spears claimed the “abusive” arrangement was preventing her from getting married and having children with partner Sam Asghari.

Jamie’s lawyers responded by releasing a brief statement on his behalf.

It said: “He is sorry to see his daughter suffering and in so much pain. Mr Spears loves his daughter and misses her very much.”

MTV Video Music Awards 2008 – Press Room – Los Angeles
Britney Spears remains one of pop’s biggest stars but she has not performed in public since 2018 (PA)

July saw another impassioned courtroom intervention from Spears.

She said she wanted Jamie charged with conservator abuse while repeating her demands to be freed.

She said: “My dad needs to be removed today.”

The pressure on Jamie eventually resulted in him announcing he will step down.

He agreed to walk away in August while insisting there are “no actual grounds” for his suspension or removal.

Mathew S Rosengart, the high-powered Hollywood lawyer who replaced Mr Ingham, later accused Jamie of trying to “extort” his daughter while demanding he be immediately removed.

He said in a court filing: “Mr Spears and his counsel are now on notice: the status quo is no longer tolerable, and Britney Spears will not be extorted.”

Earlier this month, in a shock move, Jamie asked the judge in the case to consider ending the conservatorship.

The filing said: “As Mr Spears has said again and again, all he wants is what is best for his daughter. If Ms Spears wants to terminate the conservatorship and believes that she can handle her own life, Mr Spears believes that she should get that chance.”