Conservative shadow minister Chris Grayling admits Gary Neville blunder
THE Tory "shadow minister for Liverpool" has admitted he blundered when he picked out Manchester United skipper Gary Neville as a "good role model", adding: "I should have said Jamie Carragher!"
Chris Grayling back-tracked after Liverpool fans reacted with fury to his suggestion that youngsters without a father-figure should look to the example of the Old Trafford favourite.
They were angry because Neville once told a United fanzine: "I can't stand Liverpool, I can't stand Liverpool people, I can't stand anything to do with them."
Three years ago, the 34-year-old was fined ã5,000 and reprimanded after rushing over to Liverpool fans to celebrate United's goal in a 1-0 win at Old Trafford.
Scores of Liverpool supporters posted angry messages on the Anfield club's official website within hours of the Daily Post revealing the comments by Chris Grayling, the Shadow Home Secretary.
Some fans asked: "Why is he allowed to get involved in matters concerning Liverpool?" - noting that Mr Grayling's constituency is in faraway Surrey.
Other comments included: "He certainly wouldn't know what poor and deprived is, coming from Epsom!", "If you don't know about a subject, keep well away from it" and "What an idiot!".
Others were less polite.
Andy Burnham, the Liverpool-born Sports Secretary, also weighed into the row, saying: "This shows just how out of touch the Tory front bench is. It's the wrong role model for the wrong city for the wrong team."
Last night, Mr Grayling told the Daily Post: "With hindsight, I should probably have picked Jamie Carragher or Ryan Giggs, but it was said on the spur of the moment.
"However, I was not saying Gary Neville was a role model for kids in Liverpool, particularly.
"I was talking about the country more generally.
"I think of players such as Gary Neville, Steven Gerrard and John Terry, who are very committed to one club and don't have a record of violence on the pitch."
Mr Grayling said he had been struck, after "spending time on the streets of Toxteth", by how the lack of a father-figure threatened to drag youngsters into a life of crime.
The controversy was embarrassing for Mr Grayling, who was appointed by David Cameron on a mission to revive the Conservatives in Liverpool, and has been a regular visitor to the city.
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