Which Football Teams Do Boris Johnson, Rishi Sunak & Other Members of Parliament Support?

Spring of 2023 wasn’t a particularly happy time for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. Hot on the heels of a drubbing at the local elections, Rishi headed to St. Mary’s to take in the match between his beloved Southampton and Fulham. Hopes that the trip would improve his mood were soon extinguished, as a 2-1 success for the Cottagers confirmed that the south coast club would be playing Championship football next season.

Eight points adrift of safety with only two games to play at the time, you didn’t need to be a former Chancellor of the Exchequer to realise those numbers made for unpleasant reading. Rishi waved for the cameras. The Fulham fans chanted, “Rishi, Rishi, What’s The Score?”. As far as relaxing diversions from the rigours of the day job go, this will likely rate a fair way down on Rishi’s List.

Putting the troubles of the Conservative Party and the Saints to one side, the sight of a politician amongst the crowd at a Premier League football match is not particularly common in the media. Are our elected MPs simply too busy to take in the latest games? Do they prefer polo, rowing and other typically elitist pursuits? Are they unwilling to tie their colours to the mast of a particular side for fear of alienating a section of voters? Or simply not interested?

It turns out that none of the above is true – with a decent proportion of MPs having declared their affection for one side or another. Who can forget David Cameron’s commitment to Aston Villa? Or was it West Ham? A “dedicated” Aston Villa from 13 years of age, Cameron nevertheless informed a south London crowd that, “Of course, I’d rather you supported West Ham?” A mix-up due to the Claret and Blue Strip similarities was the tenuous excuse put forward by some observers, which doesn’t augur well for David, with Burnley set to join Villa and the Hammers in the Premier League next season.

Famous Politicians & Their Football Allegiances

Notwithstanding strip-related confusion and/or highly questionable authenticity, we now present a selection of football crazy MPs together with the sides they support, ranging from former PMs who like to spread the love, to die-hard fans of lower-league Scottish sides and, of course, the obligatory Man Utd supporter… they get everywhere, don’t they?

Rishi Sunak – Southampton

Starting at the top, politically if not in football terms, Sunak has been a Saints fan since childhood, with the affiliation quite reasonably being put down to the fact that he was born and raised in the city, and his father Yashvir was a season ticket holder. Listing Guernsey great, Matt Le Tissier, as his favourite player (we’ll certainly leave Le Tissier’s politics out of this!), Sunak did land in hot water when mixing up the fixture list in 2022. But, in fairness, he was only one week off in stating that Southampton were playing Manchester United at the weekend – hardly a gaffe of Cameron proportions.

Boris Johnson – “All of the London Clubs”

If in doubt, simply support everyone, a la former PM Boris Johnson. That may be a slight exaggeration, but when quizzed on his football allegiances in 2015, the then Mayor of London stated that he supported, “All of the London Clubs”. If counting only the professional sides, that still sees the BoJo scarf collection swelling to 17 sides, enough for each child to have two each! With so many players to keep track of, it’s no wonder Boris didn’t recall being introduced to Arsenal midfielder, Thomas Partey, but then recognising a party has never been a strong point of his.

Jeremy Corbyn – Arsenal

Former Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, counts the unusual pursuit of “drain spotting” amongst his hobbies and, of course, is a keen jam-maker. However, when not out photographing drain and manhole covers, or foraging berries, the avowed Socialist can regularly be found at the Emirates supporting his beloved Arsenal, with the club falling within his North Islington constituency.

A long-time fan, back in 2004 Corbyn signed a motion declaring, “This House believes that Arsenal is the best club football team in the world at the moment and admires them for the fluency and poetry that they have brought to the beautiful game.” His local team and one that plays in red, Arsenal was a no-brainer for Jezza!

Keir Starmer – Arsenal

Starmer and Corbyn may not have aligned politically on many key policies but, in the all-important area of football, the current and former leaders of the opposition have much more in common. Like Corbyn, Starmer has been a long-time supporter of the Gunners, taking trips to the Emirates as a means to escape the stress of the job. Well ahead in the polls in 2023, Starmer will be hoping his party proves more adept at holding onto a lead than Mikel Arteta’s men.

Dominic Raab – Chelsea

The former Deputy PM is a dedicated follower of the Blues and like Arsenal and Corbyn they seem a good fit. A regular at Stamford Bridge, Raab’s support certainly seems genuine, but, typically for a politician, his most famous football-related moment came when photographed at a 2021 fixture without a mask – contravening the club Covid guidance at the time.

Liz Truss – Norwich City

Despite being brought up in Leeds and speaking of “channelling the spirit of Don Revie” during one of her speeches, Liz Truss has now adopted Norwich City as her team – her love of the Canaries seemingly appearing in tandem with her election as the MP for the local Norfolk South constituency.

An advocate of safe standing, she does at least seem in tune with the issues of the day, and as an occasional attendee, may now have spent more time at Carrow Road than she did at No. 10. In addition, the side’s frequent yo-yoing in and out of the Premier League certainly chimes with her own career.

Priti Patel – Arsenal

Born in North London, the former Home Secretary and MP for the Essex constituency of Witham, Priti Patel is an avid follower of the Gunners. This is a fact revealed by her tweets in support of the former manager Arsene Wenger and, more recently, the club’s backing of an anti-knife crime initiative. Gunners fans’ responses ranged from lukewarm acknowledgement to “This is the lowest moment in the club’s history”. And, they’ve had some low ones!

Michael Gove – QPR

Why is Michael Gove jogging in a QPR top? asked The Telegraph in 2019. A cynical ploy to ingratiate himself to a section of voters, or a mere reflection of a love of the Hoops? It seems the latter is the case, with Gove regularly spotted amongst the Loftus Road faithful.

Matt Hancock – Newcastle United

Hancock is a man familiar to us all as the face of a thousand daily briefings, and impressive displays of eating the inedible on “I’m a Celebrity…..Get Me Out Of Here”. He has certainly been through the mill in recent years, but on the football front at least, things seem to be looking up. When questioned on why he supports the Mighty Magpies, Hancock responded simply, “I’m a Newcastle fan because my uncle Dave is a Geordie”. Hard to argue with that.

Nadine Dorries – Liverpool

She may sit on the blue benches in parliament, but when it comes to football, it seems that Red is the colour for the former Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. Born and bred on the banks of the Mersey, her love of Liverpool is perfectly understandable, although her great-grandfather George Bargary may well be turning in his grave, having both helped create and played in goal for Everton.

Jeremy Hunt – Chelsea

Then Sports Secretary Jeremy Hunt stated in 2011, “When I first took on this brief nearly four years ago I didn’t know very much about football,” and, “If you asked me what the offside rule was, I couldn’t tell you,” prompting the response of, “it is staggering that the Secretary of State responsible for our national game hasn’t got a clue about the rules,” from Shadow Sports Minister Ian Austin. Regardless of his suitability for the role, Hunt also professed his support of Chelsea at the time and has been intermittently spotted at Blues fixtures ever since. He seems to know as much about the sport as the current owners so that’s nice.

Theresa May – AFC Wimbledon

In addition to fine-tuning her distinctive dance skills, former PM Theresa May seemingly dedicates a portion of her spare time to League 2 club, AFC Wimbledon. Born in Sussex, May’s association with the club stems from her time as a councillor in Durnsby during the 1980s and 1990s.

Oliver Dowden – Boreham Wood

Deputy PM, Oliver Dowden, has held many roles in the Conservative Party, including a stint as Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport in 2020/21. At the time, he stated that he has “never been a huge football fan”. Dowden certainly wasn’t aiming for mass appeal when pledging his allegiance to his local team Boreham Wood FC, who currently ply their trade in the National League.

Alex Chalk – Cheltenham Town

The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice is another to have landed himself in hot water due to his football-related activities. Chalk’s faux pas came in 2021 ahead of Cheltenham Town’s FA Cup clash with Manchester City. Ignoring advice to stay away from the ground in the midst of 2020’s global health crisis, Chalk posted a selfie of himself outside the stadium, with the poorly thought-out caption of, “knock ‘em dead”. Needless to say, the post was swiftly deleted. Always reassuring to see the razor-sharp minds of those who govern us.

Penny Mordaunt – Portsmouth

Born in Torquay, the Leader of the House of Commons and MP for Portsmouth seems to have pledged her footballing allegiance to her local constituency. As Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, declared his love for Southampton FC at Prime Ministers’ questions in October 2022, Mordaunt hinted at a footballing rivalry on the benches when mouthing “Play up Pompey” in response.

Ed Davey – Liverpool

Despite being born in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, it seems that the footballing heart of the leader of the Liberal Democrats has been won by the red side of Merseyside. Davey keeps a relatively low profile on the footballing front, but revealed all in a 2020 tweet which stated simply, “Today even prouder to be a Liverpool fan”.

Dr Thérèse Coffey – Liverpool

The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs provided one of the most surprising moments of 2022 when outed as a fan of Dr Dre. In addition to her love of West Coast hip hop, St. Helens-born Coffey is another MP with a “chronic” love for the Anfield club. If the pictures are anything to go by it’s also perfectly possible she’s partial to a blunt or two, as well!

Nicola Sturgeon – Ayr United

As the former leader of the Scottish National Party, Nicola Sturgeon’s football loyalties could be expected to lie north of the border, and indeed they do. Despite being the MSP for Glasgow Southside, it is not The Hoops or The Gers who carry her support, but rather her local side, Ayr United – a passion she inherited from her father, who is an avid follower of The Honest Men. Not a nickname we would freely associate with politics in general but there you go.

Rebecca Long-Bailey – Manchester United

Sitting on the red side of the benches as the Shadow Secretary of State for Education, red is also the colour for Long-Bailey on the football front. Born in Old Trafford and the serving MP for Salford and Eccles, there was only ever likely to be one side for the 43-year-old.

Sadiq Khan – Liverpool

Unlike Boris Johnson, the current Mayor of London has ignored the appeal of all of the London clubs to join the seemingly ever-expanding list of political Liverpool fans. His reasons for supporting the Reds are, however, perfectly understandable. Having experienced racism in the stands when attending London fixtures during the 1980s, Khan simply fell in love with the attractive brand of football played by the great Liverpool side of the era whilst watching on TV.

David Lammy – Tottenham

Shadow Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, sticks to his local roots in his choice of football team. Born in the north London district of Holloway in 1972, it was Spurs rather than the Gunners who Lammy was drawn to, and he continues to regularly attend games to this day.

Jacob Rees-Mogg – Liverpool?

Whether Jacob-Rees Mogg has a love for the beautiful game remains slightly unclear. However, a snapshot from 2019 suggested that he may at least have a soft spot for the Reds through his family, with his two children seen sporting full Liverpool attire. The Liverpool connection was then bizarrely reinforced when Rees-Mogg channelled his inner John Barnes during a 2021 Parliamentary debate The reaction to this reds revelation has been predictably mixed, with one Facebook user commenting, “I’m a Liverpool supporter and I don’t care who their dad is, YNWA little Moggs, but your dad is a t**l.”

Ed Miliband – Leeds United

Baseball and American Football allegedly feature towards the top of the list of sporting favourites of the former Labour leader. He does however profess to being a lapsed Leeds United fan, a preference which seemingly stems from his childhood growing up in the city and remained unaffected by his position as the MP Doncaster North. Brother David Miliband is an Arsenal supporter, despite previously being a non-executive director of Sunderland A.F.C.

Michelle Donelan – Chippenham Town

Born in Cheshire in 1984, Donelan is the current MP for Chippenham and has tied her colours to the mast of the locally based Chippenham Town FC. A semi-professional outfit currently plying their trade in the National League South, the club are perhaps best known as the former side of England international Tyrone Mings.

Robert Halfon – Chelsea

The Minister of State for Skills, Apprenticeships and Higher Education, and Member of Parliament for Harlow is a self-professed “massive Chelsea fan”, with his love for the Blues most likely down to the fact that he was born in London. The Harlow-born former Chelsea player and manager, Glen Hoddle, comes in for particular praise on his blog.

Andy Burnham – Everton

Although not currently an MP, the current Mayor of Greater Manchester was the Member for Leigh between 2001 and 2017 and fulfilled a number of cabinet roles in the Labour government. We’re sneaking him onto the list given his previous and current careers and his clear and obvious passion for the Toffees. He frequently talks and tweets about the club, as well as attending games and back in 2012 tabled a motion recognising David Moyes’ long service to the club, as well as “his commitment to local community and charity projects”.