Soccer's Owen, the PM and bunk beds

Former England footballer Michael Owen let Prime Minister David Cameron choose which bunk bed he wanted on a flight to Camp Bastion in Afghanistan
16 December 2013

Michael Owen let the Prime Minister pull rank when it came to choosing which bunk bed to sleep in as they flew out to Afghanistan together, the footballer has revealed.

The pair shared a small cabin on a C-17 military transport plane during the eight- hour journey from Brize Norton in Oxfordshire to Camp Bastion.

Owen told reporters that David Cameron picked the top bunk and admitted that the noise levels from the aircraft meant it "wasn't the best" flight.

"I obviously let the PM choose first. He chose top. I was quite surprised myself.

"I couldn't hear anything. I was wondering if he was going to snore but I couldn't hear anything with the noise up there and obviously you can hear the pilots all the time.

"So, let's say it wasn't the best of sleeps, but who's to complain? We were in the best place."

Mr Cameron later praised his flight companion: "Well, he's charming. He's a very nice guy and it was interesting to reflect on his footballing career and now he's putting a lot back into helping others and I think that's a really commendable thing to do."

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