Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Rishi Sunak hopes Southampton will ‘bounce back’ from relegation

Bottom club Southampton have already been relegated from the Premier League.

John Besley
Friday 19 May 2023 08:55 EDT
(Leon Neal/PA)
(Leon Neal/PA) (PA Wire)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Rishi Sunak has expressed sadness at witnessing his football team Southampton’s relegation but said he hopes they will “bounce back” swiftly.

Bottom club Southampton will be relegated from the Premier League after losing to Fulham at the weekend.

Speaking to BBC News in Hiroshima, where he is attending the G7 summit, the Prime Minister said: “It was a sad moment but I was pleased I could be there, actually, and be there with the fans and my family were there as well with their season tickets, quite near where I was sitting.

“It was nice to be back home to my football team I have supported since I was a kid and, hopefully, we can bounce straight back up as Burnley and Sheffield United have in reasonably short order.”

Mr Sunak’s comments come after he joined Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida for dinner at his favourite restaurant on Thursday.

The leaders sat down for a dinner of seasonal sashimi and conger eel rice at the Tosho restaurant in Hiroshima.

In a well-considered piece of diplomatic dressing, Mr Sunak wore the socks of Mr Kishida’s baseball team, the Hiroshima Toyo Carp.

Having complied with Japanese etiquette by removing his shoes, Mr Sunak gestured downwards and said: “I hope your baseball team has had a better season than my football team, who have had a very bad season.”

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in