Penny Mordaunt made a clumsy two-footed tackle on Gary Lineker and ended up owned into next season

One-time Tory leader hopeful Penny Mordaunt, who had to make do with being leader of the House of Commons after losing out to Rishi Sunak for the top job, has weighed in on the Gary Lineker saga, you’ll be glad to know.

She used a speech in the House of Commons to draw a tortuous analogy between the Match of the Day man and the Labour Party.

And we mention it because there isn’t a tape measure in the world long enough to gauge the gulf between how clever she thought she was being and how clever she was actually being.

They’ve borrowed from Lineker’s playbook. Labour are a party of goalhangers and left-wing strikers. That doesn’t work in politics. The country needs centre forwards, people who are prepared to put the hard work in and create opportunities. And it needs a team captain with a plan. pic.twitter.com/hDNSLvNl4t

— Penny Mordaunt (@PennyMordaunt) March 9, 2023

And it caught the attention of Lineker himself, whose response suggested he isn’t about to lay off the government any time soon.

Thank you for mentioning me in your clumsy analogy. I’m just happy to have been better in the 6 yard box than you are at the dispatch box. Best wishes.

— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) March 9, 2023

Absolutely, 100% what it deserved.

a truly elegant bodying from Mr Lineker.

— Sarah Phelps (@PhelpsieSarah) March 9, 2023

Was always good at finding the back of the net. Tackling seems to have markedly improved as well. https://t.co/z8sN2vDAcV

— David Henig 🇺🇦 aka @[email protected] (@DavidHenigUK) March 9, 2023

— Mike Gapes (@MikeGapes) March 9, 2023

I know next to nothing about football, but is this what they call a tap-in? https://t.co/G6kXHcvfQo

— Michael Hutchinson (@Doctor_Hutch) March 9, 2023

Game Set and Match.

— Peter Reid (@reid6peter) March 9, 2023

Elsewhere on Twitter – stick with us, please – Lineker was attempting to draw something of a line under the storm which has engulfed him this week.

Well, it’s been an interesting couple of days. Happy that this ridiculously out of proportion story seems to be abating and very much looking forward to presenting @BBCMOTD on Saturday. Thanks again for all your incredible support. It’s been overwhelming.

— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) March 9, 2023