No uniform choice for Virgin Atlantic crew on World Cup flight

Virgin Atlantic has said its gender-neutral azygous argumentation volition not use to the unit connected committee the England team's formation to the World Cup successful Qatar.

The hose announced a "fluid approach" to uniforms successful September that it said allowed unit to take their attire "no substance their gender".

But a spokeswoman told BBC News the unit for Tuesday's formation to Doha would not beryllium capable to take their uniform.

Virgin said a level displaying an LGBT icon would beryllium utilized for the journey.

There has been disapproval of quality rights successful Qatar and its attraction of LGBT radical up of the World Cup.

Qatar has said each fans volition beryllium welcomed to the tourney "without discrimination".

Explaining wherefore the gender-neutral azygous argumentation did not use to the Birmingham to Doha journey, Virgin Atlantic said it was being rolled retired successful countries "more accepting of non-binary identities".

"Initially the UK, US and Israel are the territories wherever the azygous argumentation is being rolled retired for our people, arsenic those countries are much accepting of non-binary identities allowing much self-expression," it said.

The hose did not acceptable retired this caveat in a property release announcing the caller argumentation successful September.

A level displaying an LGBT icon has been selected for the six-hour charter formation from Birmingham airdrome to the Qatari capital, the hose said.

The A350 plane, named "Rain Bow" and carrying the representation of a antheral holding a national emblem wearing shoes with a rainbow motif connected its fuselage, volition ferry Gareth Southgate's squad to Doha.

The Football Association (FA) said that, portion it did not take the plane, it was much than blessed to alert connected it.

It is amerciable to beryllium homosexual successful Qatar, and same-sex relationships tin beryllium punishable by death.

Footballers, including England skipper Harry Kane, person taken a basal successful enactment of the LGBT assemblage successful caller months.

Kane has said helium intends to deterioration his One Love rainbow skipper armband during World Cup matches, adjacent if it is not approved for usage by the football's planetary governing body, Fifa, which runs the World Cup.

An FA spokesperson said: "We amusement our enactment for inclusion successful galore ways, including wearing the One Love Armband during the tournament".

Earlier this year, LGBT organisations engaging with Fifa said "progress has been slow" successful ensuring the information of LGBT fans - and that reassurances from Qatar had "not been adequate".

In response, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly advised LGBT fans amusement "a small spot of flex and compromise" if they question to the tournament.

Mr Cleverly, who volition question to Qatar, said fans travelling from England and Wales should beryllium "respectful of the big nation".

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's authoritative spokesperson aboriginal said LGBT fans should not beryllium expected to "compromise who they are" if they sojourn Qatar for the World Cup.

Some politicians, including Labour person Sir Keir Starmer, said they would not be the tourney owed to Qatar's quality rights record.

Wales's First Minister, Labour's Mark Drakeford, is expected to attend.

The England squad are expected to onshore successful Qatar astatine astir 20:00 section clip and get astatine their squad basal astatine astir 21:00 GMT.

The UK government's World Cup question proposal sets retired the ineligible status of homosexuality successful Qatar and the assurances fixed by its authorities.

The archetypal lucifer of the tourney volition beryllium betwixt Qatar and Ecuador connected 20 November. England's archetypal crippled is against Iran connected 21 November.