Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak have both pledged to host a reception for England’s Lionesses at No 10 if they are chosen to be the next prime minister.
Unlike other successful sporting teams, the winning England squad will not be honoured with a visit to Downing Street this week. Prime Minister Boris Johnson was at the funeral of Northern Ireland peace process architect Lord Trimble on Monday, and is due to go on holiday from Wednesday to Sunday.
Both candidates in the Tory leadership race have now pledged to host the Euro 22 champions at Downing Street if they secure the top job next month. Foreign Secretary Truss has also promised to ensure the team are “recognised for their historic victory in a suitable way” amid calls for them to be honoured.
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A spokesperson for the Truss campaign said the team has been an inspiration to the country and would be invited to No 10 if Truss is Prime Minister in September. Rishi Sunak’s team said he would also host the Lionesses at Downing Street if he won the leadership contest.
Asked on Monday if Boris Johnson would back damehoods for the team following their win at Wembley on Sunday, his official spokesman said: “The Prime Minister would definitely want to see the team receive the recognition they rightly deserve for their historic victory.
“On honours specifically, there is obviously a process that is a matter for the independent honours committee, but clearly the public want to see [the] Lionesses receive recognition.”
The England men’s cricket team were invited to Downing Street following their win in the Ashes in 2005, as were the men’s Rugby World Cup victors in 2003. The women’s national rugby and cricket teams have also previously been honoured with receptions at No 10.
Labour has urged the Government to capitalise on the Lionesses’ success to ensure young girls who are now inspired to play football can go on to become stars. Lucy Powell, Labour’s shadow secretary of state for digital, culture, media and sport, accused the Tories of having a “terrible record of building on sports stars’ success with a real and lasting legacy.”
But the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) hit back, saying: “We strongly reject these assertions. Ministers continue to promote women’s sport as a top priority and are committed to using the power of the Lionesses’ success to keep pushing to level the playing field.”
A spokesperson for the DCMS said the Government had “stood by women’s football during the pandemic ” with £2.9m in grants given to women’s domestic leagues and £4.6m going towards the staging of Euro 2022.
They added: “Right now, we’re investing an extra £230 million into building or upgrading up to 8,000 grassroots facilities by 2025, to ensure we continue to develop the talent of the future and build on the class of 2022’s success.”
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