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  1. Politics
31 May 2012updated 12 Oct 2023 10:16am

Prime minister – and king of sport

Cameron's skills are not limited to tennis.

By Martha Gill

As Rafael Bear revealed in his column this week, Ed Miliband has been taking tennis lessons, possibly to keep up with our already-quite-good-at tennis prime minister. But he’s entering a dangerous game. It turns out David Cameron’s tennis skills are merely the tip of a giant iceberg of sporting talent. Here are some further classes for Miliband to enrol himself in…

1. Badminton. Aamir Khan once described the sport of badminton as “like ballet dancing, requiring a lot of control, strength, mind play and measured movement”. But his definition was too restrictive. Sometimes it can also be like Morris dancing.

2. Cricket. David Cameron plays cricket. He is so not scared of that ball. Small boy looks on, possibly in awe.

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3. Swingball. David Cameron kicks back, playing a lonely game of swingball with his tie.

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Select and enter your email address Your weekly guide to the best writing on ideas, politics, books and culture every Saturday. The best way to sign up for The Saturday Read is via saturdayread.substack.com The New Statesman's quick and essential guide to the news and politics of the day. The best way to sign up for Morning Call is via morningcall.substack.com Our Thursday ideas newsletter, delving into philosophy, criticism, and intellectual history. The best way to sign up for The Salvo is via thesalvo.substack.com Stay up to date with NS events, subscription offers & updates. Weekly analysis of the shift to a new economy from the New Statesman's Spotlight on Policy team. The best way to sign up for The Green Transition is via spotlightonpolicy.substack.com
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