Purnell gets his timing all wrong

James Purnell, the new Secretary of State for

the Department of Culture, Media and Sport and

seen by many in Whitehall as a future Prime

Minister, made a seriously embarrassing sporting

gaffe yesterday just days after becoming a

Cabinet minister.

He was asked, at a press briefing to introduce

new Minister of Sport Gerry Sutcliffe, what had

changed his mind about London hosting the 2012

Olympics — earlier in his political career he

insisted the Games billions could be far better

spent elsewhere in dealing with regional inequality.

Purnell's explanation was "the benefits that the

Commonwealth Games brought to Manchester

and the power of that event to change people's

lives. I was wrong and I accept that now — I

have changed my mind."

But Purnell, 37, seemed to have forgotten he

wrote his Times article in May 2003 on the eve of

the Government backing the London bid —

nine months after the Manchester Games had

taken place in August 2002.

A DCMS spokesman

said rather unconvincingly: "James was referring

to the on-going legacy that followed the Games."

Also in faltering form was Sutcliffe, on his first

nervous appearance in front of the media since

becoming Minister of Sport.

He didn't appear to

have a strong view on any subject and certainly

wouldn't answer a posed quiz question — name

the victorious England team who regained the

Ashes? — after predecessor Richard Caborn's

early weeks were overshadowed by his wrong

answers to Clare Balding's sports quiz questions

on Radio Five Live.

Worringly, Sutcliffe, a Manchester United fan,

earlier kept referring to the Premiership champions

as "we" on Radio Four's Today programme.

Soper a super bet

Surrey's Michael Soper, beaten by David

Morgan for the chairmanship of the England

Cricket Board last time around, is now hot

favourite to take over when Morgan becomes

president of the ICC next year.

Soper has the

support of a number of counties, while his most

likely rival for the post, Somerset's Giles Clarke,

is on holiday in the Italian lakes and hasn't yet

decided whether to contest an election.

Scroll down to read more:

Stubbs snubs political football

First choice to be master

of ceremonies at the Wembley

fund-raiser tomorrow,

celebrating 10 years of sport

under Labour, was BBC all-rounder

Ray Stubbs.

He turned it down due to

holiday commitments, but

the word is that the BBC

wouldn't have let him do it

because of the political overtones.

Instead, C4 music

host, June Sarpong, will be

the presenter.

Ferguson's staying power

Sir Alex Ferguson has given no public

inkling as to when he will retire as manager

of Manchester United. But the word inside Old

Trafford is that he will do two more seasons,

which would coincide with the length of the

proposed Carlos Tevez loan deal.

At a private

club function a year ago Fergie announced he

would be there for "three more years".

Anderson on attack

There have been complaints to Manchester

City by agents over leading middle man Jerome

Anderson being appointed as the official

representative of new club owner Thaksin

Shinawatra on all football matters.

The rival agents' objections are on the grounds

of potential conflicts of interest.

But Anderson describes his critics as "ignorant

idiots" and says: "I've been given a big responsibility

because of my reputation in the game built

up over a long period. I will put my heart and

soul into helping make City a successful club.

I'm an adviser to the owner, but it's the manager

who picks the players."

Fry digs in

MCC chairman Charles Fry has no intention

of resigning.

This is despite being under

pressure after his committee's heavy defeat in a

special meeting vote over their seizure of Lord's

debenture seats for corporate hospitality

without consulting the membership.

Instead, he

points to the seats being sold out despite an 800

per cent price increase as a sign that Lord's had

been undervaluing their assets for too long.