The Prime Minister again resisted pressure to promise a bank holiday if England win the European Championship as he arrived in Berlin for the final against Spain.
Sir Keir Starmer instead pledged to mark a triumph in the “appropriate way” as he described how he could “totally relate” to Gareth Southgate’s against-the-odds achievements.
In an interview with Labour-supporting pundit Gary Neville for ITV, Mr Starmer paid tribute to England’s “phenomenal” squad for creating a feeling of “such optimism” across the nation.
But he refused to be drawn for the second time this weekend on whether he would declare a national holiday when Neville pressed the PM pitchside over potential celebration plans.
“I don’t know about that,” he said of bank holiday proposals. “Let’s get through the next few hours. Let’s get their hands on that trophy. We need to mark it in some way but we’ll have to see what that is – the appropriate way.”
England, he said, were not lucky to be here in the final. “This is hard work, this is talent, skill, strategy, and I just desperately hope now we get it over the line this evening,” he said.
When asked whether he related to the rollercoaster experience Southgate had endured in Germany – having initially drawn criticism from fans and pundits – Starmer added: “I could totally relate to that. When I started as Labour leader people said, ‘you’re not going to get over the line… You’re not going quick enough… you’ll never turn it around in five years and get a Labour Government. Gareth obviously starts this [tournament] and people say ‘it’s not good enough’ etc. I always said from the get-go by the way, this is a fantastic squad. This is a great manager who will get the best out of them. I’m really really pleased they’ve got this far and they should be so proud. We’re all really proud, with our country behind them. But you know, I’ve been at England games so many times. People need to get that combination of being here and getting it over the line.”
Starmer remains a season ticket holder at Arsenal but he said he doesn’t know whether he will now have time to go to games or keep up with his regular five-a-side football sessions.
He said he was “very proud of” England’s Arsenal contingent but he is equally “proud of the whole squad, though – phenomenal.”
“I think there’s such optimism,” he said of the mood in England. “I’ve just come from London. It’s breathing optimism. In the summer, for us to win this would be really fantastic.”
Pundits on ITV were upbeat about England’s prospects ahead of kick-off. “I think they’re more equipped to win this game than they were in the last final,” said Roy Keane of England.
