The UK government has been accused of a U-turn after accepting Russian and Belarusian athletes can compete at the 2024 Olympics.

Last year, Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer said athletes "funded by their states" or "who are in receipt of funding or sponsorship directly aligned to their states" cannot be considered neutral in the context of the invasion of Ukraine. Britain is part of a coalition of like-minded countries which had called for a ban on such athletes due to this funding.

But the government has now confirmed it agrees with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that Russian and Belarusian athletes can compete under a neutral banner at the upcoming Paris Games. Ms Frazer said on Friday those athletes will be taking part under the "strictest neutrality conditions possible".

Politics latest: Sunak accused of 'full-on assault on disabled people' After the position was revealed by The Times earlier this month, there were accusations of a government U-turn on the issue. Richard Caborn, who was sports minister between 2001 and 2007, said: "This is a humiliating U-turn by Frazer after her forceful speech one year ago to the Council of Europe setting out why Britain should support the total ban of Russian athletes participating in the Paris Olympics." In her speech last year, Ms Frazer said the IOC's recommendations did "not go far enough.