KEIR Starmer has claimed responsibility for Arsenal’s signing of Declan Rice after using his son to trick him into signing a contract.
The Labour leader, 61, joked that he was able to con the England ace when the midfielder signed an autograph for his son last year.
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Rice, 25, has been a standout performer in an Arsenal side chasing a first Premier League title for 20 years.
The midfielder moved to Arsenal from West Ham for a whopping £105million in July 2023.
And Keir, an Arsenal season-ticket holder, has quipped that he played a pivotal role in the high-profile transfer.
The politician was in attendance with his son to watch his side play against West Ham at The London Stadium last year, when Rice was captaining The Hammers.
He told The Telegraph: “Mark Noble, Mr West Ham, took us down to meet Declan.
“And so my boy had his programme open ready for signing and obviously we put the contract [for Arsenal] in underneath.
“Declan signed it and thought he was signing the programme, but actually he was signing for Arsenal.”
Keir also revealed how he “religiously” pens the dates of Arsenal’s games into his diary when the fixture list is announced each year.
And he said watching his club is a “release” from the daily stress of being a politician.
Keir, who says he still plays regularly, also said he will continue travelling to the Emirates even if he were to become Prime Minister.
Arsenal and Premier League legend Thierry Henry is his favourite player of all time, but he also mentions Dennis Bergkamp along with current stars Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka and Rice.
But the Labour leader was muted on Arsenal’s title chances. While acknowledging this season has been “the best title race for ages”, he insisted “it depends on City” and praised stars Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland.
Keir was last year pictured taking part in a kickabout in North London, though he ended up on the losing side – captaining Homerton Academicals in a 9-6 defeat.
But he’s not always been full of praise for Arsenal, and joined many in taking a pop at The Gunners for sacking mascot Gunnersaurus during the Covid pandemic in October 2020.
Speaking at the time, Keir said he “takes a dim view” of football clubs spending millions on transfers while making staff redundant.
Politicians and their football clubs
DAVID Cameron drew nationwide laughs when he appeared to forget which team he supported.
The then PM seemed to be confused over whether he followed West Ham United or Aston Villa.
The current Tory leader Rishi Sunak has been open about the team he supports stating he’s a “massive football fan”.
He supports Championship side Southampton, who were relegated from the Premier League last year.
His choice of club is not surprising as, like many, Rishi supports the club at the heart of his home town – he was born in Southampton in 1980.
When Sunak was 18, his father Yashvir owned a season ticket to watch the Saints, and Sunak said that he was given a card signed by the whole team for his 18th birthday celebrations.
His predecessor Liz Truss revealed in September 2022 that she is a Norwich City fan
Boris Johnson, meanwhile, is a well-known rugby fan and appears to have less of a liking for football.
Boris has never stated he supports one particular football team.
When he was London mayor in 2015, he was asked about his football allegiance but gave a non-committal answer.
He told reporters he supported “all of the London teams”, refusing to name one.
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