A powerful, popular national hero

As you'll already know, because the story's been everywhere...

Manchester United star Marcus Rashford - backed by Gary Lineker - successfully forced the Government into a massive Man U-turn a couple of days ago. 

(Has anyone else done that pun yet? I'm guessing yes.)

As a result - though we as a country have never done it before under any shade of government - taxpayers (remember them?) will now be paying to provide vouchers to the parents of 'vulnerable children' to pay for 'free school meals' throughout the summer holidays. 

And Marcus, you'll be pleased to hear, is now looking for fresh causes to champion (though I'm guessing he won't be championing decriminalising non-payment of the BBC licence fee).

Popular parodies of football-speak often use the phrase 'the boy done good'. Watching Tuesday night's Newsnight left me in no doubt that the BBC's Newsnight thinks that Marcus 'done good'. 

Self-imposed 'voice of the nation' Emily Maitlis lauded him as "a powerful, popular national hero".

But, I'm probably guessing what you're now thinking: that Emily Maitlis, as a BBC presenter, shouldn't be saying such things - what with all that 'BBC impartiality' stuff: 'Just report the news!'

If only! 

But this is Newsnight and its Twitter-obsessed bubble. And anything goes there, if it promotes the programme's groupthink and gets lots and lots and lots of 'likes' from like-minded people on Twitter. Plus, you'll never get more than a slight rap on the knuckles anyhow, so why not carry on regardless?