Gareth Southgate tried to unite rather than divide, says Dear England writer

Manager was everything we didn't have in our politics', insists James Graham as he rewrites ending of play

The playwright James Graham has paid tribute to the outgoing England football manager Gareth Southgate, calling him a figure who was able to unite the country during a political era where division and toxicity" have ruled public life.

Graham who is re-writing Dear England, his play about Southgate and the England football team after their Euro 2024 final defeat, said the departing manager had given him a tragic" and English ending" which is painful rather than triumphant.