AHEAD OF THE GAME

SUNAK SENDS MINISTER TO QATAR IN SHOW OF SUPPORT TO GAY FANS

RISHI SUNAk is planning a show of solidarity with gay England fans travelling to the World Cup by sending the Government’s most senior gay minister to Qatar as part of the official party. While the precise details of the Government delegation are still being finalised, Stuart Andrew is set to attend the tournament in his dual ministerial role as Sports Minister and Minister for Equalities.

Andrew is likely to take a different approach to Qatar’s ban on homosexuality — with sanctions ranging from seven years in prison to the death penalty for Muslims who are prosecuted under Sharia law — to Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, who was strongly criticised last month for urging gay fans to show a ‘little bit of flex and compromise’ and to ‘respect the culture of your host nation’.

Andrew has been MP for Pudsey, in north Leeds, since 2010 and is also a patron of LGBT+ Conservatives.