According to former Conservative Party chairman Sir Jake Berry, Rishi Sunak missed the opportunity to throw the first pitch at a baseball game in Washington out of fear it would go poorly. The Prime Minister will be attending as a guest of honor during the Washington Nationals vs. Arizona Diamondbacks game, but he passed on the chance to participate in the ceremonial first pitch, which is often reserved for VIPs like US Presidents and celebrities. Instead, Mr. Sunak will greet the players, while Stuart Taylor, a former British Army serviceman who now leads the Allied Forces Foundation, will throw the ball. When asked if Mr. Sunak, who is an avid cricket fan, was too apprehensive about throwing the ball, the Prime Minister’s spokesman stated that he was not. Sir Jake, on the other hand, believes that Mr. Sunak was too concerned that the pitch would go wrong, hence why he “bottled” it, as he put it. “Political stunts often go wrong,” Sir Jake explained in an interview with Talk TV, “this is one that would be bound to go wrong.” Nevertheless, Sir Jake admitted that he too would have backed out if he were in Mr. Sunak’s shoes, acknowledging that the Prime Minister made the right decision if he did indeed pass on the opportunity.
