Gary Neville blasted by No10 over political rant likening UK strike response to Qatar human rights abuses during final
RISHI Sunak today put the boot into Gary Neville for comparing the Government’s treatment of nurses to Qatar’s brutal use of migrant workers.
The PM told the ex-Man United star to stick to football after he hijacked ITV’s World Cup final coverage to rant about Ministers “demonising” striking NHS medics.
Labour-supporting Neville said they were paid a “pittance” and likened them to the appalling exploitation of migrants by the Gulf state.
He said: “We can never accept that in this region or any other region and it is just worth mentioning we’ve got a current government in our country that are demonising rail workers, ambulance workers and terrifyingly nurses.”
But on a military trip to Estonia PM Sunak told the Mail: “I think when most people are tuning in to watch Gary Neville they want to hear about the football and watch the football. They don’t want to discuss politics.”
His official spokesman added that Neville’s comments were “clearly not legitimate or appropriate”.
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Nurses are taking a second round of strike action this week after Ministers rejected union demands for an “unaffordable” 19 per cent pay rise.
They join rail workers, border force, civil servants and bus drivers on picket lines over pay rows.
Neville also engaged in a war of words with Tory MPs who blasted him for making the comparison.
Red Wall Conservative Lee Anderson said: “Another party political broadcast by a millionaire… Talk about football Gary and keep your nose out of politics. You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
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The defender-turned-pundit snapped back: “I’m glad you’re p***** off. The biggest set of charlatans to ever be in power!”
The World Cup in Qatar – that ended yesterday with Argentina as champions – has been dogged by scandals from allegations of corruption to outrage over the country’s human rights practices.
Thousands of migrant workers have reportedly died in the Qatari construction industry since the World Cup was awarded to them in 2010.
During the punditry Neville said: “The working system of Kafala which obviously through football the conversation has started and it’s been removed here now in Qatar but it is abhorrent and we should detest low pay, we should detest poor accommodation and working conditions.
“We can never accept that in this region or any other region and it is just worth mentioning we’ve got a current government in our country that are demonising rail workers, ambulance workers and terrifyingly nurses.
“In our country we’ve got to look at workers’ rights but when football goes, we have to pick up on workers’ rights wherever it goes because people have got to be equal and treated equal.
“We can’t have people being paid an absolute pittance to work, we can’t have people in accommodation that is unsavoury and disgusting. It shouldn’t happen here.
“That shouldn’t happen here with the wealth that exists.
“But it shouldn’t happen with the nurses in our country either where our nurses are having to fight for an extra pound or two pound.”