Rishi Sunak scores own goal with football gaffe on campaign tour
Rishi Sunak scored an own goal with a footballing gaffe as he met brewery staff in South Wales on his campaign tour.
The Prime Minister asked the workers whether they were looking forward to the football later this summer as a potential source of revenue, despite Wales not qualifying for the Euro 2024 tournament.
There was an awkward pause after Mr Sunak asked: “So are you looking forward to all the football?”
One brewery employee answered: “We’re not so invested in it,” to which another responded: “That’s because you guys aren’t in it”.
The Prime Minister nonetheless insisted that “it’ll be a good summer of sport”.
Mr Sunak has found the back of his own net while talking about the sport before.
The self-described “massive football fan” in 2022 wrongly spoke about his team Southampton FC playing Manchester United at the weekend, when they were in fact facing Leicester City.
Teetotaller Rishi Sunak watching beer production at the Vale of Glamorgan Brewery in South Wales (Stefan Rousseau/PA)
The teetotal Tory leader was on Thursday shown brewing processes at the Vale of Glamorgan Brewery in Barry with Wales Secretary David TC Davies and Vale of Glamorgan MP Alun Cairns.
He told staff they were “part of a proper industry that we’re keen to support”, mentioning a “Brexit pubs guarantee” and support with business rates.
The brewery visit was part of Mr Sunak’s whistlestop campaigning tour of all four nations of the UK a day after he announced a July 4 General Election.
He earlier answered questions from workers at William West Distribution in Ilkeston, Derbyshire, and is heading up to Scotland later on Thursday.