Sir Keir Starmer admits he’s “still a bit nervous” to call the Premier League title race despite Arsenal further extending their lead over Manchester City last weekend.
Arsenal have enjoyed a perfect March so far, beating Chelsea at the start of the month and then sneaking a win at Brighton on the same evening that City were held at home by Nottingham Forest.
It looked as though the Gunners would drop points themselves going into the closing stages of last Saturday’s game against Everton at Emirates Stadium, but an 89th-minute goal from Viktor Gyokeres and then a breakaway second from 16-year-old Max Dowman in stoppage time sealed another crucial three points.
City were then held for the second game in a row later on Saturday, only managing a 1-1 draw at West Ham to leave them nine points off the top with eight games left to play, one more than Arsenal.
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Yet Starmer, an Arsenal season ticket holder, isn’t counting his chickens just yet.
“After the weekend, I'm more confident,” the Prime Minister told SPORTbible at a Downing Street event to celebrate grassroots and community sport in the UK.
“(But) I'm still a bit nervous about calling it. I've done that in the past, but the games are ticking down now.
“That was a big, big moment at the weekend. We had to win that game. For 85 minutes, it wasn't looking particularly promising, but then two great goals and Max getting that second.”
The Dowman goal was one of the moments of the season so far for Arsenal fans and Starmer was among the supporters to enjoy it live from the stands at The Emirates.
“It was absolutely phenomenal to see it, youngest ever scorer in the Premier League,” Starmer said. “It was an amazing moment in the stadium, the whole stadium went mad. I was so pleased for him.
“And it's amazing to think that he's back at school, prepping for his GCSEs. But what a goal, what a player.
“It was a big shout to bring him on, I thought, because we were struggling a bit to get a breakthrough. But a phenomenal goal. Unbelievable moment. I’m really pleased for him.”
PM keen to ‘unlock’ more grassroots sport investment
The Government has committed to a £400million investment into grassroots sports facilities over the course of this Parliament, with at least 50% going into the 30% most deprived communities in the UK.
Starmer is a keen amateur footballer himself and told SPORTbible he had set up two golden chances for team-mates – neither were taken - in a 1-0 win for his Sunday team, playing the full 90 minutes at the ripe age of 63.
And he is certain of the positive impact this investment into sport can have on the nation.
“I think it's so important to give everybody access to sport, whatever sport that may be, at the grassroots level. That means encouraging with brilliant people. We've got a lot of them here today, but they need really good facilities as well.
“And facilities speak to how much you invest in people and their place. So this is about investing in the facilities that are needed for all sorts of sports. I'm very pleased that we're putting it into areas that need more support, because it's very important that everywhere people get the chance.
“Sometimes we get these patterns where in some places the facility is pretty good, other places not so good. And where they're not so good or don't even exist, that sends a message to people that we need to turn around. So I'm really pleased that we're putting the money in.
“We're creating those opportunities to play, to enjoy, but it’s much more than that. The health. Form friendships, banter, and the wider sense of being part of something, which is really important. So for all those reasons, I really believe in it.”
Starmer did acknowledge that the Government investment alone is not enough and that affordability, as well as accessibility, is an issue in many communities.
The event at Downing Street brought together attendees from organisations including the Premier League, the England and Wales Cricket Board, the Lawn Tennis Association, and Sport England, and Starmer hopes the Government investment will encourage further funding from the private sector.
“We need to match funding, and part of what we do with this money is to get others to come in alongside us so that we can keep the cost to a minimum. Because there's no point having a decent facility but it costs too much to play a game.
“So we need to do both of those things. In our experience, where the government puts money in, it does get others to put money in as well. There's a great belief in grassroots sport, I think, across the country.
“Philanthropists and others are prepared to put money in. It's our job to unlock that, to make sure it's accessible and affordable.
“There’s more the government can do in this space as well. Because local authorities are pressed (for budget), but it is really important for local authorities. It is much cheaper in the long run to have facilities for young people to do sports and other activities than it is if they go off the rails.
“It's much cheaper in the long run for health, if people are playing sport, than if they end up needing much more reliance on the NHS. So there are real savings to be had in the long run as well.”
The Prime Minister also used the event to announce a £10 million investment in 2026/27 to develop new delivery models.
This includes at least £2.5 million to the Lawn Tennis Association for covered courts in England for tennis, padel and other activities, at least £2.5 million grant to the England and Wales Cricket Board to enable the building of covered, all-weather multi-sport domes, and additional funding to enable a wider range of sporting bodies to trial innovative funding pathways.
Mark Holmes