James Cleverly is sent to Australia to cheer on England’s Lionesses in the World Cup final amid William row, despite previously admitting he’s ‘not particularly knowledgeable about football’
- James Cleverly to attend Lionesses’ World Cup final instead of PM and William
The Foreign Secretary is flying to Australia to cheer on the Lionesses, despite once admitting he’s ‘not particularly knowledgeable about football’.
James Cleverly will attend the Women’s World Cup final in Sydney tomorrow instead of the Prime Minister and Prince William.
But Mr Cleverly, whom aides claim is a big Arsenal fan, has previously suggested he prefers rugby.
In a 2006 blog post titled ‘I’m not particularly knowledgeable about football’, Mr Cleverly said: ‘Shock revelation for someone involved in politics, I know. I am more of a rugby bloke.’
James Cleverly will attend the Women’s World Cup final in Sydney tomorrow instead of the Prime Minister and Prince William
Ahead of the match, which he will be attending with Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer, Mr Cleverly said: ‘All eyes are on Sydney this Sunday. This is an amazing moment to celebrate the very best of women’s international sport with Australia and New Zealand as our brilliant tournament hosts.
‘Everyone back home is behind the Lionesses for their first appearance ever in a World Cup final, and I will be there in person to cheer them on.’
It comes amid a sexism row over why Rishi Sunak and the Prince of Wales are not going to watch the final.
Opposition MPs have suggested that, if the men’s team were playing, senior figures wouldn’t have hesitated to fly out.
Prince William came under pressure to attend after the Queen of Spain said she would be travelling to Sydney to watch the match. The cost of the trip and carbon footprint were cited as reasons for the prince not to go.
Palace sources also said it might be considered tactless for William to return for the first time in almost a decade to publicly cheer England when they knocked Australia out of the tournament.
England’s Lucy Bronze, centre, celebrates with teammates as they won the Women’s World Cup semi-final match between Australia and England
No 10 said the length of the flight meant Mr Sunak would not be able to make the match due to ‘existing Government business commitments’. But he will be ‘cheering the Lionesses on from Yorkshire’, a source said.
But Liberal Democrat MP Munira Wilson told the Mail: ‘You can’t help but suspect that if it was the England men’s team playing in the final it would likely be a very different story.’
Labour MP Kate Osborne told Times Radio: ‘We all know that if this was the men’s final, Sunak and the FA president, Prince William, would be in attendance no matter how long the flight.’
Source: Read Full Article
