Rishi Sunak skipped the World Cup final, so ‘embarrassment’ James Cleverly went instead

When England’s Lionesses are on the cusp of winning the country’s first football World Cup in 57 years, it’s usually good to have high-profile figures go out to the host country (in this case, Australia) to cheer them on – figures like Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Prince of Wales and FA president Prince William, and King Charles.

But when all three of them faced criticism because they couldn’t make it to the match against Spain (who were later crowned champions after a 1-0 win), it fell to Foreign Secretary James Cleverly to head to Stadium Australia in Sydney and be part of the presentation ceremony.

He was joined by Lucy Frazer MP, the secretary of state for digital, culture, media and sport – a stark contrast to Spain, who managed to get their Queen to attend.

Though given the team had just suffered a heart-breaking defeat, Twitter/X users have remarked that having to shake Mr Cleverly’s hand afterwards is like “rubbing salt in the wound”:

And while Mr Cleverly was sat in the stadium, Mr Sunak appeared to be watching the action unfold in a local pub, according to an image shared to X which was promptly roasted by other users:

At least he managed to tweet out a message offering his commiserations to the Lionesses after their loss, writing: “You left absolutely nothing out there.

“It wasn’t to be, but you’ve already secured your legacy as game changers. We are all incredibly proud of you.”

If only the majority of the British public could say the same about your government, Rishi…

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