One of the more surreal stories from this week’s campaigning in the EU referendum was the news that Wetherspoons is printing 200,000 beer mats urging customers to vote “Leave”.

The EU’s critics often claim it is aggressively expansionist and ultimately wants everywhere to look the same. Coincidentally, that is also the Wetherspoons business model.

Still, you know the stakes are high when the discount pub chains get involved, and the same could be said of the latest wave of sporting endorsements.