Starmer vetoes Tuchel’s call to bunk off school after England’s 1am Mexico game

Keir Starmer wants children up and fresh for schoolhouse connected Monday greeting sloppy of nan England crippled being played astatine 1am UK time.

After England qualified for nan adjacent information of nan World Cup connected Wednesday evening aft their triumph against nan Democratic Republic of nan Congo , nan caput coach, Thomas Tuchel, urged parents to fto their children bunk disconnected schoolhouse truthful they could enactment up to watch nan lucifer against Mexico. Play could past until astatine slightest 3am.

Tuchel said: “Write an excuse for schoolhouse and fto them watch football. They person truthful overmuch schoolhouse to spell to, but nan World Cup is each 4 years. Let them watch, location will beryllium a big, large lucifer successful 4 days and we request nan support of everyone and particularly of nan children.”

But Starmer disagrees. When asked if children should enactment up to watch nan game, his spokesperson said: “It is up to parents to make their ain decisions. We want everyone to bask nan crippled but children should beryllium astatine schoolhouse connected Monday.”

The spokesperson added: “The acquisition curate Jacqui Smith put it very well. She is having a disco nap connected Sunday and past backmost astatine activity adjacent time … nan premier curate is facing nan aforesaid dilemma arsenic everyone other connected whether to enactment up.”

England will recreation to nan Azteca stadium successful Mexico City – wherever nan Argentinian subordinate Diego Maradona scored his “Hand of God” extremity against England 40 years agone successful nan 1986 World Cup.

Jacqui Smith said she had nary wish to beryllium a killjoy, but learning was important. Photograph: Mark Thomas/Alamy

The babysitting app Bubble said location had been a 50% emergence successful Monday greeting bookings arsenic parents appeared to beryllium opting for late-night shot complete nan schoolhouse run.

Smith suggested young group would miss retired connected important learning if they followed Tuchel’s lead and wrote excuses to schools. She told LBC’s Nick Ferrari: “I don’t want to beryllium a killjoy, but I’ll show you what nan biggest killjoy is – young group who don’t person nan learning to beryllium capable to spell connected and do what they request to do successful life.

“I rather understand if group want to watch nan match, including young group – I will be. I’ll beryllium having a small disco nap successful nan day and I’ll beryllium celebrating our triumph nan adjacent greeting erstwhile I spell into work, looking evidently arsenic caller arsenic a daisy.”

England fans person been campaigning for an emergency slope vacation connected Monday truthful group tin watch nan crippled without having to interest astir going to work.

But a spokesperson for nan Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said that while they were “backing nan England squad each nan measurement … nan existent shape of slope and nationalist holidays is good established”.

There could, however, beryllium a slope vacation if England wins nan World Cup. Starmer antecedently teased that an other slope vacation could hap connected 20 July, but said he didn’t want to “jinx” nan tourney by announcing 1 up of time.

If Andy Burnham is confirmed arsenic nan adjacent Labour leader, arsenic is wide expected, he is apt to return agency connected 20 July.