Priti Patel has become the first cabinet minister to criticise the England football team for taking the knee at the European Championship, accusing them of engaging in “gesture politics”.
While Boris Johnson has urged the country not to boo England players for their anti-racism protest, the home secretary said that it was the “choice” of fans whether they did so.
Patel’s intervention threatens to reopen government splits over the issue before England’s second match of the tournament. On Friday at Wembley the Scotland team will join the England players in taking a knee before the game starts.
“I just don’t support people participating in that type of gesture politics,” the home secretary told GB News, the TV news channel that was launched this
