Politics

Gary Neville burns Boris Johnson with hilarious Valencia jibe

Gary Neville took aim at Boris Johnson after the prime minister confirmed he will convene G7 leaders on Tuesday for “urgent talks” on the situation in Afghanistan.

UK troops in the country have said they are facing challenges “nobody has experienced before” as a former defence chief warned the Kabul airport evacuation is the “worst possible scenario”.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed on Sunday that seven Afghan civilians had died in the chaotic crowds outside the airport, while reports have suggested as many 20 people have been killed in the past week while trying to get into the airfield.

The Operation Pitting rescue mission is being supported by 1,000 British troops – including Paras from 16 Air Assault Brigade – with a further 1,700 people repatriated in the past 24 hours.

Ministers are desperate for US President Joe Biden to keep American forces on the ground beyond his August 31 deadline, with Labour calling for the prime minister to phone the UK ally to extend the exit date.

But many believe any action could be too little too late, with Neville poking fun at Johnson with a tweet harking back to his days as manager of Valencia CF.

Neville spent four months in charge of Valencia having been appointed in December 2015.

He won 10 of his 28 games, losing 11 and drawing seven with a 7-0 defeat against Barcelona a low point.

Related: Flashback: To when foreign secretaries DID resign over diplomatic failures

Jack Peat

Jack is a business and economics journalist and the founder of The London Economic (TLE). He has contributed articles to VICE, Huffington Post and Independent and is a published author. Jack read History at the University of Wales, Bangor and has a Masters in Journalism from the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

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