British and Irish Lions captain Maro Itoje has been tipped to one day succeed Keir Starmer in 10 Downing Street. Former England head coach Eddie Jones believes the lock will one day be Prime Minister and silence talk of Donald Trump’s exploits in the US.
Itoje will lead out the Lions during their tour of Australia this summer. The 30-year-old has been the England captain since January, when he replaced Jamie George. He almost led Steve Borthwick’s side to a surprise Six Nations victory, but they were pipped by France. Jones wrote in 2021 that Itoje was unsuited to captaincy, claiming the second-row was “very inward-looking” and did not “usually influence people off the field”.
But the New Zealander has now gone back on that theory by claiming that Itoje will not only lead the Lions, but also the United Kingdom and Nigeria, where he has links through his parents’ heritage.
Jones told the Daily Mail: “The Lions tour is the greatest challenge for any modern-day captain. It is the longest tour and you’ve got a diverse squad by nature, because of nationality. Your job is to keep them together. The Test team gets divided from the non-Test team and you have to keep them together. I think Maro is ready for that now.
“He’ll be Lions captain, then British Prime Minister and President of Nigeria – he’ll do all of it! Nobody will talk about Donald Trump anymore.”
In 2023, Itoje launched The Pearl Fund, an initiative aiming to raise funds to invest in the education of children in African countries such as Nigeria and Ghana. The Saracens star has previously expressed an interest in entering politics.
He told Men’s Health in 2022: “I started thinking about post-rugby a few years ago. How you transition, what I might do, how to have a stable financial situation. It’s important to plan ahead. I try not to be identified exclusively as a rugby player. I want success in a sphere independent from rugby.
“I’m interested in politics, I am interested in business, I am interested in certain charities, I am interested in art. I would want to keep a connection to rugby, but I won’t be a coach, I wouldn’t want to be a pundit.”
It remains to be seen whether Itoje ever leads the UK government. For now, he will be preparing to help the Lions win their first series victory since 2013, which also came in Australia.