That's what I thought you meant.
Use of staccato chords in the treble range of the piano does not a ripoff make. The mood is different and the rhythm is different
The chances are a 23-year-old British pop singer is more influenced by British musical tradition than by a half-forgotten American sentimental-pop duo that were yesterday's news before she was born. British music hall tradition (the sassy social satire part) would be a deep influence, possibly unconscious. The Pretenders and ska in general are more obvious, up-front influences. The Carpenters? -heh- Don't think so.
You hear the Carpenters because you listen to the Carpenters yourself. It's like seeing the face on Mars: predisposition to see the image doesn't mean somebody else put it there.