Jamie Carragher has broken his silence on Britain’s growing political divide, calling Brexit a “big mistake” and warning that the country has never felt more fractured.
The Liverpool legend, who hung up his boots in 2013 and has since become one of Sky Sports’ leading pundits, made a rare foray into politics during an interview with LBC. His comments come just weeks after fellow pundit Gary Neville sparked outrage with a fiery rant about “middle aged white men” and the use of the Union Jack.
Carragher admitted that his old colleague is “more politically activated” but confessed he too feels uneasy about the mood in the country. “It does feel divided,” he said. “I don’t know if it goes back to Brexit or the Conservative government and the issue of people coming in on boats. There is a lot of anger in the country and I don’t remember it ever being like this.”
Pressed on whether the public’s frustration stemmed from recent political leadership, Carragher pointed to the 2016 Brexit vote as a key moment. “That anger is understandable but I don’t think it’s just about Labour or Conservative. This has been building for a while. What happened around Brexit was when I probably got most involved in politics. I thought it was a big mistake and that viewpoint has probably been proven right.”
When host Tom Swarbrick joked that Neville could handle immigration while Carragher tackled Brexit, the former defender laughed: “Then we’ll be alright.”
Carragher, an ambassador for Sky Bet’s Every Minute Matters campaign promoting CPR and defibrillator training, also spoke in support of the Labour government’s attempts to rebuild bridges with Europe. “I’ll be supportive of anyone who leads Labour because where I come from we vote Labour and that will always be the case,” he said. “If it’s Keir Starmer or Andy Burnham or Wes Streeting, I’ll vote for them. I like that Labour is trying to strengthen ties with the EU. If young people can go abroad to work and vice versa, that’s a better version of Britain.”
His remarks follow Neville’s recent backlash after the former Manchester United star claimed Britain’s divisions were being fuelled by “angry middle aged white men.” The outburst saw him branded a traitor by some supporters, with fans chanting abuse during England’s match in Latvia and far right protesters confronting him at a Salford City game.
Carragher’s measured comments mark a stark contrast to Neville’s fiery tone, but both men seem to agree on one thing Britain is angrier, more divided and struggling to find common ground.
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