A FEW short years ago, sentences like “Ian Botham has been appointed as the UK’s trade envoy to Australia” may have caused a some consternation.
In Boris Johnson’s Brexit Britain, however, it barely registers.
In a state where the Prime Minister won’t even admit how many children he has, it’s tough to raise eyebrows.
But that’s not to say Lord “Beefy” Botham’s promotion from cricket commentator to Liz Truss’s crack team of trade gurus didn’t go unnoticed.
He’s joined the ranks of a stellar new squad, including highflyers such as fellow Brexiteer Baroness Kate Hoey and, erm, David Mundell.
So apart from batting for Brexit (which earned him a peerage), what else made Beefy the right fit to be the UK’s new trade envoy down under?
Is it is his geographical expertise?
READ MORE: Ian Botham destroys his own credentials for Australia trade enjoy role
Judging by this unearthed clip from an episode of BBC’s Daily Politics in 2016, probably not.
“Personally,” Botham speculates, “I think that England is an island and I believe … [we should] remember that and be very proud to be English.”
Swing and a miss.
Botham was set straight by Plaid Cymru MP Jonathan Edwards during a Westminster debate on renaming the Bank of England, which he argued should be called the Sterling Central Bank to better reflect its role in the UK.
"Many of those present today in the debate will also have heard that my schoolboy hero Sir Ian Botham on Daily Politics yesterday, in reference to the EU referendum, said 'England is an island and we should be proud'."
He added: "Despite dubious geographical knowledge this is a continual error suffered by the other nations of the UK at the hands of those who confuse England to mean a larger entity.
"It is an injustice that persists in cricket with Wales denied a national team in its own right, as well as the other nations of the UK denied recognition when it comes to the central bank.
"If the British state is a partnership of equals all its institutions must reflect that reality, including perhaps the most important institution underpinning its financial system – the central bank."
So it’s not Botham's geographical knowledge that landed him the job. His ignorance, however, seems right up this Tory government’s street.
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