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Football

08th Sep 2021

England’s Education Secretary says he met Marcus Rashford, but he actually met rugby player Maro Itoje

Danny Jones

Gavin Williamson

This lot are now so blatantly ignorant and out of touch it’s beyond painful

In a recent interview with the Evening Standard‘s Sussanah Butler, England’s Secretary of State for Education, Gavin Williamson, was asked whether he had ever met Marcus Rashford.

Williamson insisted that the two had spoken “over Zoom”, adding that the footballer and influential humanitarian “seemed incredible engaged, compassionate and charming”.

It has now been revealed that Williamson has never spoken to Rashford and was instead talking to Saracens and England rugby player, Maro Itoje. Butler reports the following line from Williamson:

“We met over Zoom and he seemed incredibly engaged, compassionate and charming but then he had to shoot off. I didn’t want to be the one that was holding him back from his training.”

While the Manchester United man and England international is beyond a household name these days – his incredible campaigning for school meals, to end child poverty in the UK and efforts to get kids reading again earned him an MBE – it seems the Education Secretary still can’t put the right name to the right face.

Butler clarifies in the piece that Williamson had met Itoje about “bridge[ing] the digital divide” in schooling, mentioning how the government was trying to source thousands of laptops to supply kids and their families during the pandemic.

Rashford’s spokesperson has since confirmed that he has never met or had any direct communication with Williamson at any point.

Oh dear – just oh dear.

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