Gary Neville confirmed to make first appearance on Question Time weeks after joining Labour Party

Footballing legend Gary Neville is set to join the panel of Question Time in March, after making his political views clear on social media in recent months.

The BBC late-night talk show sees guests from the world of politics, journalism and business join to discuss the biggest issues of the week live alongside Fiona Bruce. 

However, the show does occasionally feature panellists from the world of celebrity and beyond, with footballing pundit Neville, 47, the latest to take a seat. 

Chatting during last night’s instalment of Question Time, which focused heavily on the Russia/Ukraine crisis, host Bruce revealed he would appear when the show travels to Walsall on March 10. 

She told viewers: ‘We’re going to stay on the subject of Ukraine but before we move on, I just want to tell you next week, we’re going to be in Norwich

‘The following week, we will be in Walsall, where Gary Neville is going to be on the panel – that’ll be his first time on Question Time.’

Fiona confirmed the news on Thursday night’s Question Time (Picture: BBC0

The former footballer, who is regularly a fierce critic of Boris Johnson on Twitter, revealed last month he had joined the Labour Party on Nick Robinson’s BBC Political Thinking podcast.

He told the host: ‘That is purely for myself. I want to support Labour. I do believe that we need a progressive Labour party but one that not just looks after the left side … it has to come towards the centre.’

The pundit will join the hot seat in March (Picture: Michael Regan/Getty Images)

When asked by the host whether he would ever consider a career in politics, he replied: ‘I say to myself sometimes “I’m able to communicate. I know what I want. I have got a business mind, I can manage people.” But I just think I’d get eaten alive. 

‘I don’t know what Whitehall’s like, what Westminster’s like, I can only imagine what you have to do there to survive and I don’t play the game. So how can I get in?’

Neville went on to add: When I ask myself the question, do you want to dip your toes in? I can’t dip my toes in because I’m all or nothing. If I’m going in, I’m going in.’

It comes just a few months after Neville was involved in a clash with former Tory MP Edwina Curry during a discussion over Universal Credit cuts on GMB.

The former Man United footballer joined hosts Alastair Campbell and Susanna Reid on the show to discuss the end of the £20 uplift claimants have received during the pandemic.

While the former politician claimed job vacancies were on the up, which meant ‘pushing up wages’ and thought the universal uplift did ‘not make sense,’ Neville was fully opposed to her remarks. 

Gary argued that reducing Universal Credit was ‘brutal’ and condemned ‘divisive and dangerous’ language on the topic.

Question Time airs Thursdays from 10.35pm on BBC One. 

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