Sir Keir Starmer backs calls for Nike to scrap new England football kit over redesigned St George cross
Sir Keir Starmer has backed criticism of Nike for changing the cross of St George on the back of the new England kit.
The Labour leader called on the sports manufacturer to switch the multicolour flag back to the original one.
His comments come after a social media storm over the change, with calls on X to boycott the US sports manufacturer.
The row started after Nike posted pictures online of the new England kit which will be used for this summer’s Euro 24 tournament.
While some pictures showed off the ‘away’ kit’s new colour purple, alongside the classic ‘home’ white jersey, one of the X posts showed a new motif featuring a purple, blue, black and red cross on the back of the shirt, which was captioned: “A playful update to the flag of St George appears on the collar to unite and inspire.”
Previously, shirts have often featured the red and white of the St George’s flag.
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Nike’s new England kit
Thousands of X users have reacted to the new kit, the vast majority negatively, with many attacking it for being unnecessary or “disrespectful”. Some accused Nike of being “woke”, and many urged people not to buy Nike products.
Sir Keir joined in the criticism when asked by The Sun if it was “wrong” to change the colours.
“Yeah, I think it was,” he said.
“As you know, I’m a big football fan. I go to England games – men’s and women’s games – and the flag is used by everybody.
England players wearing the current kit in November 2023. Pic: PA
“It is a unifier, it doesn’t need to be changed, we just need to be proud of it – so, I think they should just reconsider this and change it back.”
He went on: “I’m not even sure they can properly explain why they thought they needed to change it in the first place.
“One more thing on that for me, they could also reduce the price of the shirts – I think it’s £130.”
A home team shirt for both men and women costs £124.99 on the Nike website.
A description of the new kit from Nike read: “The England 2024 home kit disrupts history with a modern take on a classic.
Sir Keir Starmer has intervened in the debate on the new England shirt. Pic: PA
“The trim on the cuffs takes its cues from the training gear worn by England’s 1966 heroes, with a gradient of blues and reds topped with purple.
“The same colours also feature an interpretation of the flag of St George on the back of the collar.”
A number of other prominent voices, including football pundits and politicians, have also criticised the shirt’s design and price.
One social media user responded to Nike’s post to ask: “which other country’s flag you have done this to?”
Another said it was “not yours to mess with”, while a third said: “Looks crap I’ll be wearing my old England shirt even if I get bean juice down it I’d rather wear that than this.”
A person calling themselves “Alfred Ramsay” has set up a petition on the change.org website and, so far, several thousands of people have added their names. The anonymous petition creator says in accompanying text: “I would love to buy this new shirt, but cannot while it shows the Cross of St George defaced… Please change the shirt.”
Nike, which also unveiled a slew of other international kits at the same time, is yet to comment on the storm. Sky News has contacted the company for comment.
England are also yet to comment, other than to publicise the availability of the kits, which went on sale today, on their social feeds.
Euro 2024, which kicks off in Germany in June, is now less than 100 days away, with England and Scotland having qualified and Wales facing Poland on Tuesday for one of the play-off places.
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Politics
Row over how many farms will be affected by inheritance tax policy – as PM doubles down ahead of farmers protest
Sir Keir Starmer has insisted the “vast majority of farmers” will not be affected by changes to Inheritance Tax (IHT) ahead of a protest outside parliament on Tuesday.
It follows Chancellor Rachel Reeves announcing a 20% inheritance tax that will apply to farms worth more than £1m from April 2026, where they were previously exempt.
But the prime minister looked to quell fears as he resisted calls to change course.
Speaking from the G20 summit in Brazil, he said: “If you take a typical case of a couple wanting to pass a family farm down to one of their children, which would be a very typical example, with all of the thresholds in place, that’s £3m before any inheritance tax is paid.”
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The comments come as thousands of farmers, including celebrity farmer Jeremy Clarkson, are due to descend on Whitehall on Tuesday to protest the change.
And 1,800 more will take part in a “mass lobby” where members of the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) will meet their MPs in parliament to urge them to ask Ms Reeves to reconsider the policy.
Speaking to broadcasters, Sir Keir insisted the government is supportive of farmers, pointing to a £5bn investment announced for them in the budget.
He said: “I’m confident that the vast majority of farms and farmers will not be affected at all by that aspect of the budget.
“They will be affected by the £5bn that we’re putting into farming. And I’m very happy to work with farmers on that.”
Sir Keir’s spokesman made a similar argument earlier on Monday, saying the government expects 73% of farms to not be affected by the change.
Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs Secretary Steve Reed said only about 500 out of the UK’s 209,000 farms would be affected, according to Treasury calculations.
However, that number has been questioned by several farming groups and the Conservatives.
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The NFU said the real number is about two-thirds, with its president Tom Bradshaw calling the government’s figures “misleading” and accusing it of not understanding the sector.
The Country Land and Business Association (CLA) said the policy could affect 70,000 farms.
Conservative shadow farming minister Robbie Moore accused the government last week of “regurgitating” figures that represent “past claimants of agricultural property relief, not combined with business property relief” because he said the Treasury does not have that data.
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Agricultural property relief (APR) currently provides farmers 100% relief from paying inheritance tax on agricultural land or pasture used for rearing livestock or fish, and can include woodland and buildings, such as farmhouses, if they are necessary for that land to function.
Farmers can also claim business property relief (BPR), providing 50% or 100% relief on assets used by a trading business, which for farmers could include land, buildings, plant or machinery used by the business, farm shops and holiday cottages.
APR and BPR can often apply to the same asset, especially farmed land, but APR should be the priority, however BPR can be claimed in addition if APR does not cover the full value (e.g. if the land has development value above its agricultural value).
APR and BPR can apply to farmland, which the Conservatives say has been overlooked by the Treasury in compiling its impact figures. File pic: iStock
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Mr Moore said the Department for the Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and the Treasury have disagreed on how many farms will be impacted “by as much as 40%” due to the lack of data on farmers using BPR.
Lib Dem MP Tim Farron said last week1,400 farmers in Cumbria, where he is an MP, will be affected and will not be able to afford to pay the tax as many are on less than the minimum wage despite being asset rich.
Politics
Cabinet split over assisted dying as Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson latest to reveal she will vote against bill
A split is emerging in the cabinet, with Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson revealing she will join several of her colleagues and vote against the bill to legalise assisted dying.
Ms Phillipson told Sky News she will vote against the proposed legislation at the end of this month, which would give terminally ill people with six months to live the option to end their lives.
She voted against assisted dying in 2015 and said: “I haven’t changed my mind.
“I continue to think about this deeply. But my position hasn’t changed since 2015.”
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Details of end of life bill released
MPs will be given a free vote on the bill, so they will not be told how to vote by their party.
The topic has seen a split in the cabinet – however, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has yet to reveal how he will vote on 29 November.
Ms Phillipson joins some other big names who have publicly said they are voting against the bill
These include Deputy PM Angela Rayner, Health Secretary Wes Streeting, Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood and Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds.
Border security minister Angela Eagle is also voting against the bill.
Senior cabinet members voting in favour of assisted dying include Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, Science Secretary Peter Kyle, Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy, Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn, Transport Secretary Louise Haigh and Welsh Secretary Jo Stevens.
The split over the issue is said to be causing friction within government, with Sir Keir rebuking the health secretary for repeatedly saying he is against the bill and for ordering officials to review the costs of implementing any changes in the law.
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Health Secretary Wes Streeting has called for a cost report into assisted dying. Pic: PA
Sky News’ deputy political editor Sam Coates has been told Morgan McSweeney, the PM’s chief of staff, is concerned about the politics of the bill passing.
He is understood to be worried the issue will dominate the agenda next year and, while he is not taking a view on the bill, he can see it taking over the national conversation and distracting from core government priorities like the economy and borders.
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Details of the bill were published last week and include people wanting to end their life having to self-administer the medicine.
It would only be allowed for terminally ill people who have been given six months to live.
Two independent doctors would have to confirm a patient is eligible for assisted dying and a High Court judge would have to give their approval before it could go ahead.
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