England's heroic Women's football team will not be getting a Downing Street reception for their historic Euro 2022 victory, the government have confirmed.
The Lionesses beat Germany 2-1 after extra time in front of 87,000 supporters at Wembley Stadium on Sunday, securing the first major tournament title for the country since 1966 and setting a record peak TV audience of 17.4 million.
Former Everton forward Chloe Kelly scored the winning goal in extra-time as she pounced on a rebound inside the penalty area following a corner kick, sending fans wild across the country.
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Sarina Wiegman's side have captured the imagination of millions of Brits during their historic win – England's first major trophy since the Men's 1966 World Cup win, but the victory will not be celebrated with a Downing Street reception.
Downing Street insists Prime Minister Boris Johnson is supportive of women’s football despite being absent from Wembley for the final and the lack of a No. 10 reception for the victorious Lionesses.
The Prime Minister missed the game as he is currently at the funeral of Northern Ireland peace process architect Lord Trimble, which took place on Monday, and is then taking leave from Wednesday to Sunday.
The England men’s cricket team were invited to Downing Street following their win in the Ashes in 2005, as were the men’s Rugby World Cup victors in 2003.
The women’s national rugby and cricket teams have also previously been honoured with receptions at No. 10.
The Prime Minister attended the men’s Euro 2020 final at Wembley last year, where England lost to Italy.
But he chose to tune into the Lionesses’ crunch tie with Germany from Chequers – with the match culminating in a 2-1 triumph for England after extra time, securing the first major tournament title for the country since 1966.
HAVE YOUR SAY! Should Sarina Wiegman's England Women's team get a Downing Street reception for their Euro 2022 win? Let us know what you think in the comments below...
Mr Johnson’s German counterpart Olaf Scholz was at Wembley on Sunday, while No 10 said the Foreign Secretary and the Culture Secretary represented the UK Government at the final.
Mr Scholz also visited the German team in their dressing room after the game.
Over the weekend, Mr Johnson was celebrating his wedding to wife Carrie at the grand Cotswolds estate of a major Tory donor.
Asked whether the Prime Minister’s absence from Wembley reflected badly on his attitude to the women’s game, his spokesman said: "I think the public will judge the Government on the support it has given to women’s football.
"This is a Government that has stood steadfastly in terms of supporting the women’s game and investing in it.
"The Prime Minister has been supporting the team throughout and was watching the game with his family at home."
Meanwhile, No 10 said there are "no plans" to add a new bank holiday to mark the Lionesses’ victory.
The Prime Minister’s spokesman said: "Obviously we all want to celebrate the Lionesses’ win, but there are no plans to change the current pattern of public bank holidays."
But he said Mr Johnson will “definitely” want the Lionesses to receive "the recognition they rightly deserve" after England’s triumph.
Asked if the Prime Minister would back damehoods for the Lionesses following their win, the spokesman said: "The Prime Minister would definitely want to see the team receive the recognition they rightly deserve for their historic victory.
"On honours specifically, there is obviously a process that is a matter for the independent honours committee, but clearly the public want to see (the) Lionesses receive recognition."
The Lionesses become the history makers!
Make sure you get a copy of our 48 page special celebrating England's fantastic victory over Germany in the final of the UEFA Women's EURO championships featuring all the final action, celebration pictures, the road to Wembley glory, tournament wallchart, stats and facts and a fantastic c entre spread souvenir poster. Only £3 and available to pre-order NOW
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