Who the Cabinet ministers support when it comes to football teams - Johnson, Raab, Sunak and more
- Paul Okey
- 6 July 2022
Conservative MPs are finally seeing the light and withdrawing their support for Boris Johnson. Maybe their football teams will enjoy more loyalty.
It's not hard to find football team analogies when it comes to Conservative politicians.
Boris Johnson is quite clearly Sheffield Wednesday. A bit of a joke but still able to call on decent support despite being quite clearly hopeless. Rishi Sunak was Newcastle United, splashing the cash while pretending to be on the side of the working class before finally locating his morals. And Nadine Dorries, well she's Arsenal. Full of excuses, nowhere near as good as they think they are and prone to acts of stupidity.
But while supporting Sheffield Wednesday, sorry Johnson, is becoming harder and harder, even for his most devoted fans (we're looking at you Nadine), football teams can at least expect a politician's support to last a little longer.
Planet Sport looks at key members of the Cabinet and sees which teams can count on their support. Think of it as less Partygate, more Ashton Gate.
Boris Johnson - Arsenal, Tottenham, West Ham, Crystal Palace, Fulham, Brentford, QPR…
How far down the pyramid that extends is not known.
He did recently meet an Arsenal midfielder, however. He didn't realise it was Partey, though. When informed he was actually introduced to Partey, he said he couldn't be sure it was Thomas Partey. He then went on to claim he meets lots of Arsenal midfielders and can't be expected to remember each and every one of them before phoning President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Dominic Raab - Chelsea
When not pledging "his full support" for Boris Johnson, Raab is pledging his full support to Chelsea.
He made headlines at the end of 2021 for attending a game without wearing a mask despite the club specifically asking supporters to do so.
Rishi Sunak - Southampton
No longer part of the cabinet, Southampton-born Sunak is a Saints season ticket holder whose hero growing up was Matt Le Tissier. Like everyone else.
Taken 32 years but worth the wait.
— Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) November 7, 2020
Now let’s hope it lasts 😬 pic.twitter.com/Wxv7e1suFE
Liz Truss - Norwich
Priti Patel - Arsenal
It's fair to say Arsenal fans weren't overjoyed when Patel revealed her support for the north London club, with one describing it as "the lowest moment in the club's history".
Hugely powerful campaign, which I applaud as Home Secretary, but also as an Arsenal fan.
— Priti Patel (@pritipatel) January 7, 2022
Community initiatives like these, alongside work of govt and police, will help to reduce knife crime.
Great to see that some of the charities the Home Office backs will receive the shirts. https://t.co/pDfqMoX7Ql
Michael Gove - QPR
Often seen out jogging in QPR merchandise, Gove adopted the club shortly after moving to London (but told David Cameron he was going to support Reading).
Sajid Javid - Not known
Another recent defection from the cabinet, Javid's footballing allegiances are not known. He did say "we've got a really good team" when talking about England at the 2014 World Cup so obviously knows next to nothing about the game. Maybe we should put him down as Man Utd.
Alok Sharma - Not known
It would be fair to say the Reading West MP is not a fan of his local side or indeed football.
When asked about Reading's fine start to the 2020/21 Championship season he not only didn't know they were second but thought they played in Division One. He compounded his error by saying that he hoped "at some point we will be back in the Premiership."
Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Berwick Rangers
Dr Therese Coffey - Liverpool
The Liverpool supporter's political and football allegiances created the perfect storm in June 2020 when she got embroiled in a high-profile Twitter row about poverty with Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford.
Even BT Sport presenter Jake Humphrey waded in as Rashford received a show of support that must seem a world away given his current on-pitch struggles.
Nadhim Zahawi - England
One post on football. Obviously disappointed, but also excited. Why? Because this England🏴team is phenomenal and young. These young Lions are 15 months away from Qatar World Cup. @WorldCupEN They will learn, they will grow & they will win! Football will come home. ⚽️⚽️⚽️
— Nadhim Zahawi (@nadhimzahawi) July 12, 2021
Nadine Dorries - Liverpool
Liverpool-born Dorries supports the Reds though her great-grandfather was a founding member of Everton FC.
An absolute open goal for writers, she would probably still kick the ball over the bar. Touchdown!
Jacob Rees-Mogg - Not known
Still stewing over Old Etonians' defeat to Blackburn Olympic in the 1883 FA Cup final. Rees Mogg's children have been pictured in Liverpool kits, but the Leader of the House of Commons is a fan of John Barnes' other work.
Commons leader Jacob Rees-Mogg quoted lines rapped by footballer John Barnes in the song World In Motion in the Commons following England's Euro 2020 semi-final victory over Denmarkhttps://t.co/U3tArRmeEv pic.twitter.com/6UbpAGezOc
— BBC Politics (@BBCPolitics) July 8, 2021
