In 2016, Robin and Duncan accused their younger brother Ali of “stealing” the UB40 name and causing confusion among fans about which band was playing where and when.

Robin said in 2016: “There was no battle when Ali left. He spent five years performing under his own name. It’s only in the last couple of years that he’s trying to steal our name, basically.

“Ali resigned from the band. He never owned the name. He didn’t start the band. He wasn’t the founder. We all started the band together.

“He wasn’t the leader. We were a democratic band that he chose to leave.

Happy days: UB40 on January 5, 1985 with (l-r behind mixing desk), Astro, Norman Hassan, Jimmy Brown, Earl Falconer, Ali Campbell, and left to right (front) Mickey Virtue, Robin Campbell and Brian Travers wearing white – Duncan Campbell would not join until after Ali left in 2008
“Thereby, leaving the remaining members to carry on as UB40 and that is what we did.”

Duncan who has now recorded five studio albums with the band, said at the time: “They came to me because they had fallen out horribly between themselves. That’s got nothing to do with me, that’s between them.

“Ali’s reaction was that whoever took his place wouldn’t make any difference, without him nobody would want to listen to UB40 again.

“I thought that might be the case (he would say that). I was sort of taking on a job I could only fail at.

“I think Ali has fallen out with me because we’ve done rather well out of it, but I don’t see how that makes me guilty of anything. It’s bloody awful for mum and it is sad, actually.

“He didn’t go to his dad’s funeral and doesn’t speak to his brothers.”

Today, Ali’s website says: “We are UB40 featuring Ali Campbell and Astro, both founding members of the original UB40. Ali left the original band in 2008 siting business management issues and was vindicated when said managers were struck off. Ali was then reunited with Astro when he left in 2013.”

When Mickey Virtue left Ali’s band in December, 2018 Robin said he’d previously told him to only leave the original UB40 if he knew the door would never be open to a return.

Robin said he’d told Mickey: “‘If you’re leaving, you’re leaving. The door is not going to remain open’.

UB40 secret gig at the Hare & Hounds in Kings Heath
07 10 18 UB40 play secret gig at the Hare & Hounds in Kings Heath almost 40 years after their first show

“At least he told us that he was leaving, which is more than Astro did.”

In May 2016, Ali told BirminghamLive: “We were the hardest-working band, playing more live shows than any other band.

“After I left, the end for UB40 came when they did their country album – Astro didn’t want to be standing on the stage with a stetson on.”

WATCH UB40’S SECRET GIG AT THE HARE & HOUNDS

“Six months later we were on tour in the US and Mickey phoned me and the management to ask if he could come back.

“But I said: ‘We told you that if you left you would not be welcome back’.