Keir Starmer became the target of online mockery after commenting on England’s World Cup victory over the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Attempting to tap into the national mood of celebration, the Prime Minister posted: “It might actually be coming home,” alongside an England flag emoji.
However, the wording quickly proved awkward for Starmer, coming as questions swirl around his future in No 10.
The post handed his opponents an easy opening, and within minutes hundreds of users on X were piling in with jokes and jibes.
One account, using the name Winston Smith, twisted the slogan back at him, writing: “It’s coming home, and you are going home – BYE!”
Another user added: “If ‘it’ is your P45 then yes, you are correct. Possibly for the first time in your caretaker PM stint. Hurrah!”
A third critic posted: “It’ll only come home if you resign immediately. Do something right at least once in your time as PM, Starmer.”
Barrie Poetan suggested the Prime Minister had brought bad luck, remarking: “Well that’s killed off any chance.”
Starmer was mocked ruthlessly for this tweet after England’s victory
Having been forced to resigned just over a week ago, Starmer tried to use the footballing success to gain some popularity
A user named Finch was trying to figure out who has performed worse – ‘Madueke on right wing or you [Starmer] as PM’.
One user stuck the boot into the outgoing PM, joking: ‘Whose home? Andy Burnham’s new pad in Downing Street?’
England did not make things easy for them on the night, conceding early on to a Congo side who turned up with more firepower than anticipated.
But captain and national hero Harry Kane stepped up to the plate with two late goals, edging the Three Lions through to the Final 16.
While the scenes of elation inside pubs and fanzones were warmly received online, Starmer’s interjection went down like a lead balloon.
A thoroughly unhappy Teresa Farr took aim at Starmer’s apparent aversion to the English flag, saying: ‘You can shut up you have not even put the England flag up in Downing St, every other PM have [sic] been proud to hang the English flag from every window. Shame on you.’
Denise Tarplee advised the PM to ‘SOD off’ and stop ‘trying to use the England boys to make himself relevant’.
Chris Barr told Keir he was ‘as deluded about football as you are about the DIP’.
This referred to the Defence Investment Plan unveiled by the Prime Minister on Tuesday, which failed to find five billion of the extra funding allocated – and was roundly criticised as insufficient.
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Gavin Glicksman said: ‘Do shut up. No one gives a toss about you or your opinion. Funny how you’re only proud to be English when it suits you…’
Harry Kane roared after the whistle blew, knowing he had done enough to take England through
Others pointed out that his optimism hardly reflected England’s performance – which was not hugely convincing.
Pablo Laurino replied: ‘You just barely won against Congo…’
Jan Swanepoel said: ‘Can’t you guys wait until you get into a final before starting with this nonsense again in every single sport.
Here is what Oliver Holt, the Daily Mail’s Chief Sports Writer, had to say about the match:
In a futuristic, gleaming steel stadium, protected from the hellish heat that beat down outside by a translucent dome, England spent 68 minutes wrestling with nightmares and staring at a defeat that would have ranked alongside their loss to the USA at the 1950 World Cup in Belo Horizonte as the worst in their history.
Undone by their own abysmal defending in this Round of 32 match, kept at bay by the heroic performance of DR Congo goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi and denied what looked like a certain penalty for a foul on Harry Kane by the Jordanian referee, England were stalked by thoughts of the humiliation of an early exit when they had come to win the World Cup.
Instead, well, instead, just Harry Kane. It is as simple as that, really. Sure, Jude Bellingham played like a titan again and Anthony Gordon made a big difference when he came off the bench but when a crushing 1-0 defeat was only 15 minutes away, Kane stepped up and blasted England into a Round of 16 tie against Mexico in the mighty Azteca Stadium on Sunday evening.
Kane came to the rescue, as he so often does. He scored twice in 11 minutes. His first goal was a firm header, the space won by clever movement, that finally undid the resistance of Mpasi.
The second was a bullet of a shot that not even a combination of Mpasi and England’s other old goalkeeping nemesis Jan Tomaszewski could ever have saved. It nearly burst the net.
Kane’s goals mean he is level with Erling Haaland on five goals in the race for the Golden Boot.
Only Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe, both on six, have more. It is about time we started to recognise that Kane is a phenomenon.
He has now scored more goals for England than Wayne Rooney and Alan Shearer combined. He will surely become England’s first goalscoring centurion.
I have always considered Paul Gascoigne the best player England has produced since 1966. Kane has usurped him now. His achievements take the breath away.
And so England were delivered. Just when everyone was working out where a defeat to DR Congo would rank alongside the USA loss and the exit at the hands of Iceland in Euro 2016, Kane stepped up again with his 12th and 13th goals in World Cups.
However hard anyone has tried this season, no one can keep the England captain down.
Read the rest of Oliver Holt’s match report here.
