FORMER cricketer Ian Botham must have been utterly embarrassed when an interview he did less than a year ago re-emerged this morning.
The House of Lords member, beloved by Tory ministers for his Brexit support, has just been announced by Liz Truss as a new UK trade ambassador to Australia.
You think he’d be looking forward to the new position, along with the other nine trade envoys confirmed today.
READ MORE: Liz Truss appoints Ian 'Beefy' Botham as trade envoy to Australia
But it didn’t take long for web sleuths to track down an article totally showing up the commentator in his new job.
In an interview with The Guardian last year, Botham discussed his plans to become more active in the Lords – and what he was most excited about.
“I’m enjoying it and will be at Westminster more often when we get back to normal,” he confidently told the newspaper.
“Especially when they are debating something I know about – like sport or the countryside. Not much point if it’s a trade deal with Japan.”
Ohhhhhh dear. Not the best first impression to give the public ...
The new appointment already hadn’t been particularly popular.
Some people found the situation hypocritical – as some sports starts are told to stay out of politics, while others are now given positions representing the Government.
READ MORE: Police decision on Nicola Sturgeon's e-scooter ride prompts Tory rage
“So Marcus Rashford should stick to football but Ian Botham should get involved in trade deals … ” noted one commenter.
“The Government is obviously still fed up with experts, appointing Ian Botham as trade envoy to Australia. I can't see that he has any experience in that field,” added Simon Bye.
“Next time I feel any sense of imposter syndrome I’ll remind myself that Ian Botham is a UK trade envoy,” added Joanna Barrett.
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