Prime Minister Boris Johnson is no stranger to claims of racism.
Be it calling black people "piccaninnies" in 2002, referencing Barack Obama's "part-Kenyan" heritage in 2016 or comparing Muslim women to "letterboxes" and "bank robbers" in 2018, the journalist turned politician has always sidestepped blame and avoided apologies for his conduct.
That all changed on Monday, when England stars, celebrities and even Tory MPs rounded on the Government for failing to take a strong stance against racism in football when players vowed to take the knee before games.
The PM told racists to "crawl back under the rock" after players who took the nation to the final of the Euros were hit with a torrent of abuse.
But some have raised questions about his statement, as it appears to be a swift U-turn from a leader who previously declined to condemn those who booed players' anti-racism protest.
Here is a timeline of how the political row enveloped the PM.
June 5 - Gareth Southgate confirms England players will take the knee
The Three Lions made the racial injustice protest before a friendly at Middlesbrough's Riverside Stadium on June 2, and were booed by fans.
Speaking afterward, Southgate tried to face down false accusations the gesture was political: "I think we have got a situation where some people seem to think it’s a political stand that they don’t agree with. That’s not the reason the players are doing it. We’re supporting each other."
In a press interview on June 5, Southgate made clear that the protest would continue and that his players' "voices have been heard loud and clear, they're making their stand".
He said: "We feel, more than ever, determined to take the knee through this tournament.
"We accept that there might be an adverse reaction, and we're just going to ignore that and move forward. I think the players are sick of talking about the consequences of 'should they shouldn't they'.
"They've had enough really."
June 7 - Downing Street refuses to condemn fans who boo
Asked for the Prime Minister's view on the unfolding controversy, Downing Street refused to condemn the minority of fans jeering at the players.
His spokesman said Mr Johnson does not back "gestures" but “supports individuals’ right to protest” in order to “make their feelings known about injustices".
“The PM has spoken on this matter before,” the spokesman said. “On taking the knee specifically the PM is more focused on actions rather than gestures."
The PM's weak response and failure to side with England's anti-racism stance days before the tournament got under way drew fierce criticism.
June 8 - Gareth Southgate writes 'Dear England' letter to fans
The England manager refuses to allow the tournament to be overshadowed by the row and publishes a widely-praised open letter to fans, entitled Dear England.
After the collective trauma of the Covid crisis, Southgate referenced patriotism, values and pride players felt in playing for the national side.
The letter struck a chord.
He wrote that reading abuse online "would never help a performance", and added: "Our players are role models.
"And, beyond the confines of the pitch, we must recognise the impact they can have on society. We must give them the confidence to stand up for their teammates and the things that matter to them as people.
"I have never believed that we should just stick to football."
June 10 - Minister calls the knee 'divisive' on BBC Question Time
Education minister Gillian Keegan said the gesture was "dividing people" and "symbolism more than action".
Speaking on BBC Question Time, she said: “It’s not my judgment to say whether they should take the knee or not. They’re perfectly free to do what they want. If you want to say, do I think it’s symbolism more than action? Of course it is ... but we’ve seen it’s creating division.
June 11 - Backlash grows and Downing Street shifts stance
Pressure grows on the Government to be more supportive of Southgate's England ahead of their opening match with Croatia.
Scotland's manager Steve Clark confirms his players will take the knee and the Tory-supporting Sun newspaper publishes a front page editorial urging fans to "cheer, not boo" England.
The same day Downing Street took a stronger stance.
Asked if the PM backed players taking the knee, his spokesman said: “The Prime Minister respects the right of all people to peacefully protest and make their feelings known about injustices.
“The Prime Minister wants to see everybody getting behind the team to cheer them on, not boo.”
June 13 - The FA reacts after England booed at opening match
A section of fans boos players for the protest, moments before the The Three Lions' opening match with Croatia.
While cheers can also be heard, the boo is audible and the FA put out a statement underlining to fans the knee is "not new" and is a "gesture of unity" with a long history.
"They are doing this as a mechanism of peacefully protesting against discrimination, injustice and inequality," the FA said in a statement to fans. "This is personally important to the players and the values the team collectively represents. This gesture of unity and fighting against inequality can be traced back as far as the 18th century.
“It is not new, and English football has made it very clear that it does not view this as being aligned to a political organisation or ideology. There can be no doubt as to why the players are taking the knee and what it represents in a footballing context.”
June 14 - Priti Patel sparks anger as she doubles down
Home Secretary Priti Patel drew ire over her reaction to players taking the knee as she called the move “gesture politics” and dodged a question about whether she would join in on boos.
“I just don't support people participating in that type of gesture politics,” she told broadcaster GB News.
The minister also hit out at Black Lives Matter protests, which she claimed caused disruption.
Ms Patel said it was “all well to support a cause and make your voices heard” but with regards to the BLM protests that have taken place in the UK, “the impact on policing... it was devastating”.
June 18 - Cheers drown out boos at England vs Scotland
Players from both teams took the knee before the two sides' clash at Wembley.
Reports of the match say a "cacophony" of noise when players took the knee broke out, as cheers wiped out the sound of boos.
July 3 - Boris Johnson and Priti Patel don England shirts
The Prime Minister and Home Secretary are more full-throated in their support of England as the team progresses to the semi-final game vs Denmark.
Mr Johnson can be seen in the crowd at Wembley wearing a Three Lions shirt (albeit over his shirt and tie) and Ms Patel posts a smiling image of herself in an England shirt on social media.
Days later a Financial Times article would quote Conservative sources calling the England manager an "agent of deep woke".
July 11 - England are defeated in the final with Italy
The nation is left heartbroken after England loses on penalties in the final at Wembley.
Emotions were running high before the game, with fans attempting to storm the ground before kick-off.
Penalty-takers Marcus Rashford, Jordan Sancho and Bukayo Saka are bombarded with racist abuse online.
A mural of Rashford in Manchester is daubed with racist graffiti.
A chorus of voices begin to criticise the Government over ministers' failure to take a more strident anti-racism stance.
July 12 - Football figures round on Boris Johnson and his ministers, and the PM reacts
Boris Johnson and other top Tories were branded "total hypocrites" and "arsonists complaining about a fire" as they attempted to condemn the racism faced by players.
England player Tyrone Mings tells Ms Patel - who had tweeted she was "disgusted" by the abuse - that she "stoked the fire".
Labour's Angela Rayner, Conservative peer Sayeeda Warsi and Gary Neville all accused the Government of hypocrisy.
Gary Neville said signals came "from the top", while Ms Warsi tweeted a striking response to Ms Patel: "Priti - we as govt, as Conservatives need to think about our role in feeding this culture in our country If we 'whistle' & the 'dog' reacts we cant be shocked if it barks and bites.
"It’s time to stop the culture wars that are feeding division. Dog whistles win votes but destroy nations."
Finally, the Prime Minister gave the strong response that many say was needed in the early stages of the tournament.
The Prime Minister told a Downing Street press conference: “To those who have been directing racist abuse at some of the players I say shame on you and I hope you will crawl back under the rock from which you emerged.
“Because this entire team played like heroes and I’m sure that this is just the beginning of their achievements, and I say bring on Qatar next year, and let’s also dare to start, together with Ireland, how the United Kingdom can host the World Cup in 2030.”
But when asked by the Mirror's Dan Bloom whether the PM would himself take the knee, he refused and still insisted on linking the protest to the Black Lives Matter movement.
“On Black Lives Matter and the importance of that, I will simply repeat what I’ve always said many many times,” Mr Johnson said.
“I think people should feel free to show their respect and show how much they condemn racism in this country in any way that they choose.”
Southgate, meanwhile, has called the abuse faced by players from racists as "unforgivable".
“It’s just not what we stand for," he has said. "We have been a beacon of light in bringing people together in people being able to relate to the national team, and the national team stands for everybody and so that togetherness has to continue."
