Starmer: PM comments on racism following footballer abuse “ring hollow”

Keir Starmer has declared that Boris Johnson’s comments on the racist abuse of England football players following the Euros final defeat on Sunday “ring hollow” after his failure to condemn fans booing the squad taking the knee.

In an interview this afternoon, the Labour leader described the racist abuse received by Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka, as “absolutely appalling” and said it should be “called out in the strongest possible terms”.

“I was there at Wembley, I could see what that meant for the players – losing. I could see what it meant for everybody in the ground and everybody across the country and this team have been brilliant role models on and off the pitch,” he said.

“They’ve had the courage to call out racism and stand up for equality. And they’ve shown real leadership, Gareth Southgate and the team have shown real leadership – and this is about leadership.

“I’m afraid the Prime Minister has failed the test of leadership because, whatever he says today about racism, he had a simple choice at the beginning of this tournament in relation to the booing of those who were taking the knee.”

England’s players took the knee before games throughout the Euros to highlight the fight against racism. At the start of the competition, Johnson refused to condemn fans who jeered when the squad took the knee during warm-up games.

The Prime Minister instead said that he wanted to see fans “getting behind the team to cheer them on”. The Labour leader criticised Johnson at the time for his silence, saying he did not have “the guts to call it out”.

“Leaders’ actions, and leaders’ words, and leaders’ inactions have consequences, and the Prime Minister had a very simple choice at the beginning of the competition: did he call out the booing of players taking the knee?” Starmer said today.

“They were clear we’re standing against racism – the very thing we’re discussing today – we’re standing for equality. And the Prime Minister failed to call out the booing. So whatever he says today rings hollow and, like all football fans, I stand with Rashford, Sancho and Saka today on this really important issue.”

Following the final on Sunday, Rashford, Sancho and Saka were subjected to racist abuse online after the three team mates missed penalties in the 3-2 shootout loss. Johnson described the comments on social media as “appalling” this morning.

Ministers have today said that the government’s online harms bill would protect people from this kind of abuse. But Labour has described the legislation as “watered down” and warned that it would not put a stop to such conduct.

Shadow cabinet member Jo Stevens has called on the government to “urgently review” its approach and ensure that social media companies are properly incentivised to tackle the hatred that has “become endemic” on their platforms.

“Social media companies’ self-regulation has to end and instead we need tough new laws,” she said. Labour has proposed including criminal sanctions for senior tech executives who repeatedly fail to enforce the rules in the bill.