What happened when David Blunkett fell on the London Underground?

A couple of years before the interview, David Blunkett slipped between the platform and the train on the London Underground after telling his dog to hop up into the carriage. The injury led to 25 weeks of outpatient visits. He said that in the moment he felt humiliation as well as pain, and his first thought was whether the dog was all right, since it lay on the floor as if it had done something wrong.

Blunkett carried on to a League Cup match between Brentford and Sheffield Wednesday, where the Brentford chairman sent the team doctor to see him.
Blunkett said he admires people who manage the Underground with a white cane, calling it a nightmare with or without a dog.

▸In their words

“I felt humiliation as well as pain” David Blunkett · at 16:58 — open in the transcript →

Source: our own transcription of the episode. The full conversation is on The Rest Is Politics (2026-10-31). Read the whole episode summary →

▸More from this episode

Q1Why does David Blunkett think today's politicians give up too easily?Q2How did David Blunkett's father die, and what did Blunkett take from it?Q3What did David Blunkett say about resigning as Home Secretary?Q4How many guide dogs has David Blunkett had, and how does he work with them?Q6Why did David Blunkett refuse to become a campaigner on disability issues?Q7Does David Blunkett think losing your sight later is harder than being born blind?

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