A dispute has arisen after several Members of Parliament from Scotland, representing both the Labour and Scottish National Party (SNP), expressed delight on social media following England's elimination from the World Cup.
SNP MP Lara Bird shared a photograph on X, formerly Twitter, showing her with Labour MP Euan Stainbank at Parliament, captioning it with "Cross party cooperation." Following the match, Labour MP Brian Leishman posted an image of the Argentinian flag with the message "Phew." These actions occurred despite calls from Labour leader Keir Starmer for MPs across the United Kingdom to support the England team, the last remaining home nation in the tournament.
Scottish Conservative MP Andrew Bowie voiced his disapproval of the behavior. "My disdain for the embarrassment that is Scottish nationalism was solidified this evening as with embarrassment I watched SNP MPs and staffers sing 'it's coming home' after Argentina scored the winner," he wrote. "Home to where? Hampden? No. Just Grow up. It's embarrassing."
Not all Scottish MPs celebrated England's departure. Labour's Gordon McKee posted a message of support for the England team, stating, "Gutted for the England team who were ten minutes from generational glory. Every England match in the knockout phase has been a belter of a game to watch. What a tournament they've had."
England had taken a 1-0 lead in the 55th minute of the match. Argentina secured their victory with two goals scored within seven minutes late in the game by Enzo Fernández and Lautaro Martinez.
Separately, Argentinian players were seen carrying a banner on the pitch that claimed the Falkland Islands belong to Argentina. Despite FIFA regulations against political displays, players including Cristian Romero, Lisandro Martinez, and Giovani Lo Celso, along with Lionel Messi, participated in the celebration with the banner. Business Secretary Peter Kyle deemed the players' actions "entirely inappropriate."