Keir Starmer ridiculed over claim he is 'scary' to face on football pitch

By Max Parry, News Reporter

Sir Keir Starmer has been ridiculed for his alleged football playing style (Image: Getty)

Keir Starmer has been mocked online, after it was suggested he was "almost scary" on the football pitch and played in an "aggressive" style.

The Labour leader has made much of the fact that he regularly plays five-a-side football and is an Arsenal season ticket-holder.

However, when the political editor of the New European, James Ball, claimed he had been told that the Leader of the Opposition was combative whilst playing, X users could not contain their amusement.

Mr Ball said of Mr Starmer on X: "He's aggressive, I am told (by several people who say he's "almost scary" to play against)."

The Labour leader is a big Arsenal fan and says he plays every week (Image: PA)

One user quipped: "Picturing the person who is scared to play football against Keir Starmer hahaha".

While another said in response to Mr Ball's post on X: "You'll never guess who this is about".

A third asked: "Imagine being scared of Starmer in a 5-a-side".

Speaking about his love of the game and of Arsenal, Mr Starmer said during a Labour Party promotional video on YouTube titled 'Keir Starmer: What Football Means To Me': "I've been supporting Arsenal for a very very long time. When I was growing up I didn't go to games because we didn't have the money to go to games until I was an adult living in London.

"As you go down towards Highbury, there was no getting away from that mix of smells: the horse manure and the hamburgers, mixed together with the smell of the grass."

Later in the video he said: "Football in particular I think has gone deep, deep, deep into our culture. I think there are lots of lessons from the pitch that you can take to your career: there's also tolerance and respect, you have to respect your own team and the opposition.

"I just love being on a football pitch and when I'm on that pitch, I'm not leader of the Labour Party. I'm just here, one of the teammates. Football is essentially a team game - you've got to work as a unit and that's really important in any work environment."