RISHI Sunak has chickened out of throwing the first honorary first pitch at a baseball game – ahead of a crunch meeting with President Biden today.
The PM ducked the honour and will hand it over to a veteran to throw the first ball instead.
Rishi Sunak and Biden will hold meetings later today on the PM’s first trip to Washington
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is welcomed by the US chief of protocol, Rufus Gifford, as he arrived last night
The PM will hold crunch talks with President Biden on his first trip to the White House.
The pair – who have already met three times since the PM got to No10 – are set to discuss a new economic alliance, global regulation of AI, and the ongoing war in Ukraine.
It comes after enter Russia allegedly blew up a dam in the war-torn nation – sparking a huge ecological disaster.
Last night Rishi shrugged off the apparent snub and said he was “more of a cricketer” anyway.
He was invited, but insisted he will hand the honour to Stuart Taylor, a former British Army warrant office and CEO of the Allied Forces Foundation which supports injured servicemen and women.
Mr Sunak will watch the Washington Nationals take on the Arizona Diamond backs on Thursday in a game which will celebrate US and UK ties.
The game, at Nationals Park, will see a military flypast, performances by the Royal Marine Corps of Drums and the Washington Tattoo and the singing of both the US and UK anthems.
Quizzed on whether he was chicken, the PM insisted: “I wasn’t actually meant to ever do it.
“Who is doing it is a veteran, a great UK veteran who you’ll hopefully get to see, who’s going to be fantastic and I actually think the most appropriate person to do it given the context of the game and what it celebrates.
“As you guys know, my sport is more cricket than baseball in any case.”
It came as the PM heaped pressure on Moeen Ali to answer England’s Ashes “SOS”.
The Prime Minister said the line up for this summer’s series is “the concerning issue on my mind at the moment”, after spinner Jack Leach was dropped with injury.
Moeen, 35, has been asked by England captain Ben Stokes to return from retirement and is weighing up the plea.
But cricket-mad Mr Sunak told reporters on his way to the United States that he hoped he will accept the call up to save England’s attack.
“I’m focussed on who’s going to replace Jack Leach for the Ashes, which is more the concerning issue on my mind at the moment,” he told reporters onboard his government jet.
Asked who should replace injured Leach, the PM said: “That’s tough. Either send the SOS for Moeen Ali, or indeed that 18 year old who played that one Test, is it Rehan Ahmed, who had that one unbelievable game.”
Rishi Sunak has heaped pressure on Moeen Ali to answer England’s Ashes ‘SOS’
But the top Tory said he had no doubts that England will beating Australia when the Test matches begin in ten days time.
“I’m very confident,” he said. “They managed to get me bowled out in the garden at Downing Street, so they’re in good nick.”
The PM answered questions from the travelling pack on the plane
