Prime Minister and Arsenal fan Sir Keir Starmer tells Laura Woods he'd RATHER Team GB top the Olympics medal table in Paris than the Gunners win the Premier League next season

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has admitted that he would prefer that Team GB topped the medal table at Paris 2024 than Arsenal won the Premier League title. 

In an interview with Eurosport and discovery+ presenter Laura Woods, the Prime Minister said: ‘You can’t do this to me, this is a really really difficult one but I’m going to go for Team GB because the whole country is rooting for them, the whole country.'

In the interview, which will be aired in full on Eurosport 1 and discovery+ at 9pm (UK time) on Saturday evening, Woods asked the Prime Minister whether he thought Team GB could finish third in the medal table, where they have been widely tipped to finish. 

‘I really hope so,' Starmer replied. 'We’ve got a great team, so I think so – there’s a sense of knowing they’ve done the work they know they have to get into that special place, they know the whole of the country is watching and absolutely rooting for them so they’ll have all that support but it’s tough it’s really tough.’

The Prime Minister added: ‘We punch well above our weight at Team GB and there’s a reason for that – it’s because of the hard work that’s gone in and just the feeling here of performance and it’s brilliant.’

Starmer has been in Paris offering his support for Team GB's stars since Friday. 

His plans to get to Paris for the opening ceremony were hampered by the coordinated sabotage attack that has his France - the Prime Minister was forced to catch a flight at the last minute rather than taking the Eurostar. 

Starmer made it safely to France and was pictured watching the rain-drenched opening ceremony from the bank of the river Seine. 

The Prime Minister was surrounded by fellow international dignitaries but appeared to have come better prepared than the rest, donning a Team GB branded raincoat while those around him hurriedly put on see-through plastic ponchos. 

He was asked by Woods if he had been starstruck by any of Britain's Olympians so far. 

‘There’s a boxer called Delicious [Orie] who is fantastic, my son is very much into boxing so that was really special to talk to him,' Starmer replied.

He added: 'Obviously with athletes it’s all about the physical side the exercise and training, but now it’s about the calmness and confidence of going into competition, it’s incredible it really is.'

Despite his soft spot for boxing and his known love of football, Starmer gave a surprising answer when asked by Woods what his favourite Olympic event is to watch. 

‘When we were at London the one what we loved was the diving. To go and watch it live, I’ve watched it many times on the television, but to watch it live and see the technique was extraordinary,' he said.‘But being honest I will watch any sport, which is why the biggest thing for me is the Olympics. Like the whole country, I’ll be like, I’m just going to watch five minutes because one of our athletes is performing and then an hour later, I’ve been drawn into it.’

When Woods asked the 61-year-old Prime Minister if he would fancy taking up any of the Olympic sports he has seen, he joked: ‘I’ve just seen the judo, it’s not going to be that! I’ll stay well clear of that. 

'I used to run the 1500m for county and for the school. I don’t run now, I play football still but not running. I used to run the 1500m three and three quarter laps, the psychology of when to break, hearing the bell and then leaving until those last 200m and then opening it up.... I can still do it in my head, but I certainly couldn’t do it on the track.’