Chancellor risks Scottish wrath after World Cup gaffe

In what appeared to be another thinly disguised attempt to boost his appeal to voters south of the border, Gordon Brown has said he wants England to win the football World Cup.

The Chancellor, interviewed about a potential English bid for the 2018 tournament, told BBC News: "It means we would have had the most magnificent sporting decade ... the 2012 Olympics and the World Cup 2018."

Asked who he intended to support, Mr Brown replied: "I think the host", and when queried if that meant he did not want Scotland to win, he said: "Well, of course, Scotland will do well."

It was not the first time the MP for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeathseemed to back England. At last year's World Cup, he was pictured drinking beer at home while supporting the team.