Gary Neville in Qatar/UK workers' rights row

Ex-England footballer Gary Neville has been criticised for comparing Qatari attraction of workers with the UK government's actions.

Speaking arsenic an ITV pundit up of the World Cup final, helium accused ministers of "demonising obstruction workers, ambulance workers and terrifyingly, nurses".

He said atrocious moving conditions should not beryllium accepted successful Qatar oregon immoderate region.

Senior Tory MP Simon Clarke said it was "grotesque" to comparison the 2 countries' treatments of workers.

"It is beyond ridiculous that Gary Neville is fixed escaped rein by ITV Sport to overtly politicise a large sporting event," the erstwhile curate added.

Another Conservative MP, Lee Anderson, described Mr Neville's comments arsenic a "party governmental broadcast by a millionaire".

"Looks similar ITV is connected my banned database present - speech astir shot Gary and support your chemoreceptor retired of politics. You don't cognize what you're talking about."

Hitting backmost connected Twitter, Mr Neville described the Conservatives arsenic "the biggest acceptable of charlatans to ever beryllium successful power".

An ITV spokesperson said: "Gary Neville was expressing his ain idiosyncratic views successful the discourse of a treatment astir attraction of workers successful Qatar wrong a unrecorded broadcast. His views are his ain and were not endorsed by ITV."

Qatar has travel nether scrutiny for its attraction of the tens and thousands of migrant workers employed to physique the stadiums and hotels up of the World Cup.

A 2021 study by run radical Human Rights Watch said overseas workers were facing "months of unpaid wages for agelong hours of gruelling work".

According to the International Labour Organisation, 50 overseas labourers died, much than 500 were injured portion different 37,600 suffered mild injuries.

Asked astir Qatar's attraction of workers, Mr Neville said: "It's abhorrent and we should detest debased pay, detest debased pay, mediocre accommodation and mediocre moving conditions.

"That is thing we tin ne'er ever judge successful this portion oregon successful immoderate region.

"It is conscionable worthy mentioning that we've got a existent authorities successful our country, who are demonising obstruction workers, ambulance workers and terrifyingly, nurses.

"So successful our country, we've got to look astatine workers' rights but surely wherever shot goes now, we person to prime up connected workers' rights wherever we spell due to the fact that radical person to beryllium arsenic treated.

"We can't person radical being paid a pittance to work, we can't person radical successful accommodation which is unsavoury and disgusting, we can't person that. It shouldn't hap with the wealthiness that exists and it shouldn't hap successful our state that our nurses are having to combat for an other lb oregon 2 pounds."

In caller years, Mr Neville has go an outspoken professional of the Conservative government, describing erstwhile Prime Minister Boris Johnson arsenic a "calamity".

He has besides joined Labour and appeared astatine the party's caller yearly conference, but has ruled retired becoming a person himself.