British stiff upper lip? We’ve never been so emotional

The Euros have released a wave of hysteria across a nation usually characterised by its level headedness, writes Mark Honigsbaum. But who can blame us? Perhaps if the Lions bring home the trophy this evening, even our reserved PM will allow himself a smile

Can Gareth Southgate bring the Lions to tournament victory? (PA Wire)

Well, however it ends on Sunday, it’s been emotional. From Ronaldo’s tears after missing a penalty in the quarter-final against France, to Prince William’s very unroyal air punch during England’s thrilling penalty shoot-out against Switzerland, Euros 2024 has seen both players and fans giving vent to their feelings.

Even Germany’s normally taciturn manager, Julian Nagelsmann, struggled to contain his emotions after being dumped out of the tournament by Spain. “I’m fighting back the tears," he admitted at the post-match press conference.

Having been on the wrong end of several England penalty shoot-outs as both a player and manager, that’s a sentiment Southgate can relate to. From his lion-like roar after Trent Alexander-Arnold hammered home the fifth penalty against Switzerland, to his double-fist clench when Ollie Watkins slotted home the 90^th minute winner against the Netherlands, Southgate has every reason to celebrate – especially after the moans that greeted England’s underwhelming performances earlier in the tournament.

“We all want to be loved, right?” he said at Wednesday night’s press conference. "When you’re doing something for your country and you’re a proud Englishman, when you don’t feel that back and when all you read is criticism, it’s hard. So, to be able to celebrate the second final (after Euro 2020) is very, very special."

As the historian of the emotions, Thomas Dixon, argues in his book Weeping Britannia, Britons’ supposed stiff upper lip has always been something of a myth – a product of the Reformation and Protestant distrust of Catholic emotional styles.

That myth was reinforced by the Victorians and the public school system, and reached its zenith in the 1920s, before being definitively punctured by the mass public blubbing that greeted Princess Diana’s untimely death in 1997.

In retrospect, however, the more significant shift came seven years earlier during Italia 90 when Paul Gascoigne burst into tears following his booking in semi-final against Germany. “Gazza’s tears” signalled that it was OK for lads to cry in public and was emblematic of what was seen at the time as the “New Man” – a subject that filled the pages of GQ and Esquire.

And it wasn’t only men: a year later Margaret Thatcher broke down in tears on the steps of Downing Street after being forced out of office. It was the last thing one expected from a politician who had prided herself on the soubriquet “Iron Lady”. But in the soon-to-be “new Britain” of New Labour, crying was no longer something to be denigrated, instead fast becoming a symbol of authenticity.

It is a currency that politicians who wish to be seen as having a “human side” have traded in ever since, though not always successfully – see the scorn that greeted Matt Hancock’s “tears” for the recipient of Britain’s second Covid jab, on ITV’s Good Morning Britain in 2020.

Aside from Southgate, perhaps no British sportsman has done more to make public displays of emotion acceptable than Andy Murray (somewhat ironic given his reputation as a terse Scot). “I want to play forever”, he admitted to Sue Barker as he wiped a tear from his eye on Centre Court last week.

Only our new prime minister seems determined to resist the tide of emotional incontinence sweeping the nation – hence his call on being re-elected to “end the politics of performance”, and his insistence at the Nato summit that, despite the increasingly hysterical calls for Biden to step down, the US president is on “good form”.

After being out of government for so long, Starmer’s caution is understandable. But if England triumph on Sunday and his beloved Arsenal go on to win the Premiership next season, surely even he will allow himself a smile.