On Tuesday evening, about 120 Conservative MPs flocked into No 10 to watch the England v Wales game. Inside, the flags of England and Wales were displayed on either side of the giant TV. Snacks and drinks were served. MPs stood and joined in singing the national anthem before the game.
MPs representing English and Welsh constituencies were present. The Chief Whip, Simon Hart MP, and the PM PPS Craig Williams. MPs are both Welsh and represent Welsh seats.
Wales held out under pressure in the first half, but England’s renewed pressure soon paid off in the second half. Rishi attended the event to gee-up his team, as much as to show his support for both teams on the pitch— he needs those Welsh seats too after all.
Also, at No 10, in another separate room, youth footballers from Wales and England were present, and Rishi was going between the rooms.
Politics, like football, is a game of two halves. The UK is in the last two years before the next general election, and the Conservative Government, with is certainly trailing the opposition according to the current polling, has made a number of substitutions, replacing three prime ministers in six months.
Rishi Sunak needs to get the ball in the back of the opposition’s net and quickly.
If the current polling is correct, he and his Conservative team are set to lose the match. Can Sunak do anything to avert this? He may need to stop his team members from scoring their own goals and remind them where the Labour goalmouth is unguarded.
At the end of the match, it would not have been lost on the PM that the losers Wales, were out of the World Cup and the winners England, went through. Football is a brutal game where the winner takes it all, very much like politics.
REad also
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