Priti Patel has been branded a hypocrite after tweeting her support for England following their win against Denmark - despite saying fans had the right to boo players taking the knee.
Ahead of last night's historic semi-final showdown at Wembley, the Home Secretary tweeted a picture of her in an England shirt, captioned "Come on England #ItsComingHome".
Later she marked the Three Lions' momentous win with another post reading: "Just brilliant. Well done #ThreeLions. Football's coming home" - alongside an image of her cheering.
However, social media was quick to react to her online shows of emotion, highlighting how just days before Patel referred to booing players taking the knee as "gesture politics".
Patel told GB News: “I just don't support people participating in that type of gesture - gesture politics, to a certain extent, as well.
“It's all well to support a cause and make your voices heart but actually quite frankly, and we saw quite frankly in particular as some of the protests that took place - I speak now very much in what I saw in the impact on policing - it was devastating.
“Not only that, I just don't subscribe to this view that we should be rewriting our history - pulling down statues, the famous Coulson statue, and what's happened there. Toppling statues is not the answer, it's about learning from our past, learning from our history and actually working together to drive the right outcome.”
Labour's Diane Abbott responded calling the Home Secretary a "hypocrite", commenting: "This is the woman who refused to condemn people booing this same England football team for taking the knee. Hypocrite."
Business guru and TV personality Deborah Meaden retweeted Patel's celebratory post, adding: "Some people have absolutely no self awareness do they?"
LBC Presenter James O'Brian tweeted: "'Priti Patel has said she does not support England football players taking the knee in protest of racism and that fans have the right to boo them at matches.' Pick a side, Priti."
It comes days after details of the new Nationality and borders bill revealed Border Force officials will be able to use “reasonable force” to tackle illegal migrants crossing the English Channel in inflatable boats.
Patel is under mounting pressure over immigration as hundreds of desperate migrants make the perilous voyage from Northern France to UK waters each month.
The bill, which states “relevant officer may use reasonable force, if necessary” to stop, board or divert boats, has been branded "extreme and nasty".
Refugee Action chief executive Tim Naor Hilton said: "This extreme and nasty anti-refugee Bill has no place in any country that seeks to defend human rights and the rule of law.
"This Bill is built on a deep lack of understanding of the reality of refugee migration. We cannot divide refugees between good and bad depending on how they arrive, and shop around for where to deport those we want to keep out.”
