Rishi Sunak has been accused of drafting a congratulatory tweet before the World Darts Championship final between Luke Littler and Luke Humphries finished.
Humphries, 28, fought back from 4-2 down to win five consecutive sets, preventing 16-year-old Littler from becoming the youngest ever darts world champion following a sensational run which has captivated the nation.
The battle of the Lukes was a topsy-turvy final that left a star-studded crowd and millions at home on the edge of their seats.
Moments after Humphries secured the title and a mammoth £500,000 payout, the Prime Minister was mocked online for tweeting: ‘Congratulations Luke, a great win tonight.’
He added: ‘What an incredible final to end a historic championship. I know that @lukeh180 [Luke Humphries] and @LukeTheNuke180 [Luke Littler] will be leading the sport for years to come.’
But many picked out the first part of Mr Sunak’s post where he simply said ‘Congratulations Luke’ without specifying which player he was talking about.
One social media user posted: ‘Congratulations *Luke*’?? Did you schedule this to auto-send a few hours ago so you could go to bed?’
16-year-old Luke Littler’s fairy-tale run at the World Darts Championship came to an end last night
Rishi Sunak has been accused of drafting a congratulatory tweet before the World Darts Championship final between Luke Littler and Luke Humphries finished
Luke Humphries celebrates winning the 2024 Paddy Power Darts World Championship at Alexandra Palace after beating Littler 7-4
Another wrote: ‘The most tweet from the drafts ever made.’
And a third posted: ‘The fact you called him Luke when there were two Lukes playing proves you’ve never watched this match.’
Among those in attendance at Alexandra Palace last night was Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer, who shared a photo of the action from her seat in the crowd.
She wrote: ‘Big congratulations to Luke Humphries on becoming World Darts Champion
‘Both finalists made it an amazing spectacle & it was a fitting end to what’s been a brilliant tournament.’
It comes after the Conservative party was accused of ‘snobbery’ for not sending a minister to watch Littler in Tuesday’s semi-final.
The Liberal Democrats were quick to call out the Tories, claiming that darts is ‘far more embedded in British culture’ than Rishi Sunak’s party realise.
‘Darts is far more embedded in British culture than Conservative ministers realise,’ Jamie Stone, the Lib Dems’ sports and culture spokesman told The Telegraph ahead of the final.
Social media users poked fun at the Prime Minister, claiming that he didn’t even watch the match
Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer attended the final after the Conservatives were accused of ‘snobbery’
‘Ministers should stop showing snobbery towards a sport which has grabbed the country’s attention.
‘These world championships will go down in British sporting history. A minister must attend the final and see for themselves.
‘As someone who regularly tries and fails going for 180, I would be happy to take the minister’s place.’
Charlotte Nicholls, Labour MP for Warrington North, where Luke attended school, said it would be a ‘really good signal from Government if one of them was there to show their support’.
Tournament debutant Littler was beaten 7-4 at Alexandra Palace by Humphries, who had just become world number one.
It came after a run that had included the Warrington-born teenage sensation beating former world champions Raymond van Barneveld and Rob Cross.
He may have fallen just short of achieving sporting immortality, but this is just the beginning for Littler and his time will surely come, with many tipping him to become a multiple world champion.
Luke Humphries celebrates after beating Luke Littler in the final of the Paddy Power World Darts Championship
Luke Humphries later responded directly to Rishi Sunak’s tweet congratulating him on his world championship title
Littler rushed into a 4-2 lead against Humphries but was pegged back by the world number one
Luke Littler holds his runner-up trophy after losing to Luke Humphries in the PDC World Darts Championship final on Wednesday
There were tears from girlfriend Eloise Milburn after Luke Littler failed to claim a world championship title in his first year
Luke Humphries sinks to his knees and weeps as he wins the World Darts Championship final
He said: ‘It’s been unbelievable, I just wanted to win one game and come back after Christmas, that was the only goal I set, so this is a massive bonus.
‘No one likes losing, I have not really lost much, so to lose on that stage I can’t really be angry, the only thing I am angry about is that I lost a lot of legs on my throw and I was just chasing Luke.
‘I have won six games here so why can’t I go and win seven here in years to come? I have gained a lot of experience and stage experience, I am in the top 32 now so I could be in everything.
‘The past three to four weeks have been unbelievable and now I just can’t wait to go home.
‘I’m sorry I couldn’t give the crowd what they wanted.’
Marketing experts are predicting he could rake in up to £40million in lucrative tie-in deals and brand partnerships.