LONDON — The BBC will remind host Gary Lineker “of his responsibilities on social media” after the footballer-turned-TV-presenter angered Conservatives with his take on the government’s migration bill.
The Match of the Day host attacked the Illegal Migration Bill — unveiled Tuesday — as an “immeasurably cruel policy directed at the most vulnerable people,” and argued that the language in announcing it was “not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s.”
It prompted an immediate backlash from Tory MPs, while the asylum plan’s chief architect, Home Secretary Suella Braverman, joined the criticism Wednesday morning.
“I’m disappointed. I think it’s unhelpful to compare our measures, which are lawful, proportionate, and indeed compassionate, to 1930s Germany,” she told BBC Breakfast.
The Conservative party’s deputy chairman Lee Anderson also piled in on Twitter.
“This is just another example of how out of touch these overpaid stars are with the voting public,” he said. “Instead of lecturing, Mr Lineker should stick to reading out the football scores and flogging crisps.”
In a message to Lineker, Tory peer Theodore Agnew told the host he was “the face of BBC Sport.”
And he urged: “Please observe BBC editorial guidelines and keep your political views, whatever they are and whatever the subject, to yourself.”
Responding to the row, a BBC spokesperson told the Daily Telegraph: “Gary will be spoken to and reminded of his responsibilities on social media.”
It’s not the first time Lineker has brushed up against rules meant to keep BBC stars’ views in check. The corporation’s complaints unit ruled late last year that a Tweet urging the Conservatives to “hand back their donations from Russian donors” did not meet the broadcaster’s impartiality rules.
