Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
National
Fran Way

Politician mistakes Marcus Rashford - for rugby player Maro Itoje

Marcus Rashford has laughed off an awkward blunder by the Education Secretary - who mistakenly said the pair had met during an interview.

Gavin Williamson described the Manchester United player as 'engaged, compassionate and charming' when he spoke to the Evening Standard.

But his team later confirmed to reporter Susannah Butter that Mr Williamson meant rugby player Maro Itoje.

READ MORE: Manchester Food and Drink Festival 2021 dates, programme and everything you need to know

Mr Williamson said: "We met over Zoom and he seemed incredibly engaged, compassionate and charming but then he had to shoot off. I didn’t want to be the one that was holding him back from his training."

Reporter Susannah said: "Later Williamson’s team tell me he actually met the rugby player Maro Itoje, who campaigned to bridge the digital divide, not Rashford.

"Rashford’s spokesperson confirms that he has never had any direct communication with Williamson, although the minister did have a call with Itjoe about equal access to education during the pandemic."

Rashford has previously called out the government in his bid to end child hunger and secure free school meals for children during the pandemic and school holidays.

Retweeting the unfortunate mistake, he put a laughing emoji and said: "Accent could have been a giveaway."

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.