Gary Neville has claimed that “unusual things” have happened to him ever since he began to criticise Boris Johnson.
Neville has been public about his views on Johnson, the Tory government and the current state of affairs in the country ever since the covid-19 pandemic and cost of living crisis.
His outspoken views have led to responses from those who back Johnson and the government for the former Manchester United defender to “stick to football”.
Despite the criticism, Neville has stuck to his guns and even officially joined the Labour Party 18 months ago and since being open about his political views, has revealed the consequences of being publicly critical.
Speaking to The Guardian, the Sky Sports pundit revealed that he had even had freedom of information requests put in against him.
“While he was prime minister, I felt we were in real danger. All my life, I’ve been in teams where you look after one another. This lot don’t think that way. They’re in it for themselves and on the take,” he said.
It’s damaging our country, our integrity, our international standing. We’re a laughing stock. Johnson has got to be expelled from British politics for good. So do all his cronies who enabled him.
“We live in a democratic society with freedom of speech. I’ve had freedom of information requests put in on me that I’ve never had before in my life. They’re coming from certain sections of the media purely because they want to silence me.
“Other unusual things have also been happening in my life recently, which I can’t talk about but haven’t experienced before. I understand what’s going on. The Westminster elite have a protective ring around them that needs them to stay in power. But it’s wrong and it’ll change soon, I hope.”
Related: Journalist’s quest to find children identifying as animals goes horribly wrong