Ed Sheeran is on track to be this year’s Christmas number one as his collaboration with Beyonce hit the top of the charts.
Perfect, propelled by a reworking with the US megastar, knocked Camila Cabello’s Havana down the official singles charts, earning Sheeran his fourth number one.
The track shifted 89,000 downloads and streaming equivalent sales over the past seven days and caps quite a week for Sheeran, who was awarded an MBE on Thursday for his glittering music career and his charity work.
Perfect finished ahead of Dimelo, the debut single from X Factor winners Rak-Su, featuring Wyclef Jean and Naughty Boy.
The boy band’s second place is one better than last year’s X Factor champion Matt Terry, who peaked at third.
Rita Ora’s Anywhere and Havana dropped to third and fourth respectively while Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas Is You leads the charge of the festive tunes as it jumped from 22 to fifth.
Wham’s Last Christmas is up from 29 to six, while The Pogues’ Fairytale Of New York featuring Kirsty MacColl zoomed from 55 to 10 – its first time inside the top 10 for nine years.
Band Aid’s Do They Know It’s Christmas? is up to 16, while Shakin’ Stevens’ Merry Christmas Everyone is at 21.
In the album charts, U2’s latest release – Songs Of Experience – enters in fifth place, while Sam Smith returns to the top after three weeks with The Thrill Of It All.
Sheeran’s Divide climbs to second, while Michael Ball and Alfie Boe’s Together Again moves two places to third.
Pink completes the top five with her latest record, Beautiful Trauma.
