After being sighted at a posh Mayfair club less than half a mile from where the Lionesses were celebrating their victory at Euro 2022, Boris Johnson came under fire once again for his decision not to invite them to Downing Street.
Because he was in Northern Ireland for the burial of former first minister David Trimble at noon yesterday, according to No. 10, the Prime Minister was unable to welcome the England women’s team to Downing Street.
However, he was observed outside LouLou’s, a luxury members club on 5 Hertford Street that is reputed to cost £3,000 to enter, at around 10 p.m. in London. Just over an hour earlier, Priti Patel, the home secretary, had also been seen outside.
Witnesses stated that up to 15 armed police officers and six cars were seen outside the club, which was founded by Brexiteer businessman Robin Birley in 2012.
The Lionesses were jubilant after England’s 2-1 victory over Germany at Wembley on Sunday, the country’s first major tournament triumph since 1966, from a location less than five minutes away.
Despite the significance of their victory, they did not receive an open-bus tour parade, and the BBC’s broadcast of a party in Trafalgar Square lasted only 20 minutes.
Today, Mr. Johnson’s office declined to explain why he could visit LouLou’s but not meet the team before their contracts expired and they left for vacation.
Although they won’t assume office until September, his two Tory competitors for the position of prime minister have promised to host a reception in Downing Street.
In response to calls for the squad to be honoured, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has also pledged to see that they are “recognised for their historic triumph in a proper way.”
The Truss campaign’s spokesman stated, “The Lionesses have inspired our nation.”
If Liz becomes prime minister in September, “Liz will give a reception in No. 10 and her government would make sure the Lionesses are recognised for their historic triumph in a suitable fashion.”
If elected prime minister, Rishi Sunak’s campaign claimed that he would likewise welcome the Lionesses to Downing Street.
When asked yesterday if Mr. Johnson would support the team receiving honours, his representative stated: “The Prime Minister would undoubtedly like to see the team receive the respect they rightfully deserve for their historic triumph.”
“On honours particularly, there is certainly a procedure that is a matter for the independent honours committee, but clearly the public want to see (the) Lionesses get recognised,” the speaker said.
Following their victories in the Ashes in 2005 and the men’s Rugby World Cup in 2003, the England men’s cricket team and the men’s rugby squad, respectively, were invited to Downing Street.
Receptions at No. 10 have also previously been held in honour of the women’s national cricket and rugby teams.
Labour has asked the Government to capitalise on England’s triumph to guarantee that young girls who are now motivated to start playing can go on to become stars in addition to pushing for the Lionesses to receive accolades for their Euros victory.
Labour’s shadow minister for digital, entertainment, media, and sport, Lucy Powell, blasted the Tories for having a “poor record of building on the success of our sports heroes with a true and lasting legacy.”
We firmly dispute these accusations, the Department for Culture, Media, and Sport retaliated.
According to a spokeswoman, “Ministers continue to support women’s sport as a high priority and are dedicated to harnessing the strength of the Lionesses’ achievement to maintain fighting for parity.”
We supported women’s football throughout the pandemic by giving the Women’s Super League and FA Women’s Championship subsidies totaling £2.9 million.
The Women’s World Cup and Women’s Euros have recently been added to the list of events that must be made available to free-to-air television broadcasters, and we recently confirmed that these events have done so. We also announced a review of the domestic women’s game that will begin later this summer.
To guarantee that we continue to cultivate the talent of the future and build on the success of the class of 2022, we are currently spending an additional £230 million into creating or improving up to 8,000 grassroots facilities by 2025.