England booing: Portsmouth MP Penny Mordaunt says fans booing players not 'helpful to the team' and says: 'I don't like booing'

MP Penny Mordaunt has said fans booing England players for taking the knee in a show of anti-racism is not helpful.
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The Portsmouth North representative told a national newspaper: ‘I don’t like booing’.

Fans have booed the national side – including in the match against Croatia yesterday and at a friendly with Romania on June 6.

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England’s 11 have taken the knee ahead of kick-off, demonstrating their opposition to racism.

England's manager Gareth Southgate and Steve Holland, assistant coach of England take a knee ahead of the international friendly football match against Romania on June 6. Picture: Scott Heppell/pool/AFP via Getty ImagesEngland's manager Gareth Southgate and Steve Holland, assistant coach of England take a knee ahead of the international friendly football match against Romania on June 6. Picture: Scott Heppell/pool/AFP via Getty Images
England's manager Gareth Southgate and Steve Holland, assistant coach of England take a knee ahead of the international friendly football match against Romania on June 6. Picture: Scott Heppell/pool/AFP via Getty Images

Ms Mordaunt told i: ‘My view is that I don’t like booing. And I think that this is a really, this is a really difficult situation.

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‘I think that lots of people have done things with the best motives clearly, lots of people support Black Lives Matter for lots of different reasons.

‘And I think it’s very clear what, what, the football players are, are signalling. It’s clearly a really raw issue for a lot of the team.

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‘I don’t think [booing] is helpful to the team. And I think the vast majority of fans, even if they didn’t like that gesture or might support the motives behind it but thought it was not appropriate, wouldn’t be booing.’

It comes as home secretary Priti Patel today told new broadcaster GB News that taking the knee was ‘gesture politics’.

Ms Mordaunt added: ‘I think the nation will be served best if we bring people together, we’ve got enough on our plate.

‘And we require everyone to be pulling together to get the things done that we want, whether it’s across political divides. And I also think we’ve got a lot to deliver. So we’ve got to change the way we work to become as effective as we possibly can be.’

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