Gary Lineker forced out of role as Match of the Day presenter
Gary Lineker has been forced off his Match of the Day duties by the BBC because he won’t apologise for his comments on social media, Sky News understands.
The BBC said in a statement that the presenter will “step back” from hosting the weekly football highlights programme.
But, it’s understood that Lineker has not agreed to this, and believes the wording is incorrect.
A source close to the presenter told Sky News that the corporation has taken him off air, as he is unwilling to apologise and admit he should not have made the comments.
Following the announcement, football pundit Ian Wright said he will not take part in tomorrow’s Match of the Day programme in “solidarity” with Lineker.
Alan Shearer also said he will not appear on the programme on Saturday night.
The BBC said Lineker will not present the show until an agreement is reached on his social media use, after he was embroiled in a row over impartiality by comparing the language used to launch a new government asylum policy with 1930s Germany.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Campbell, whose podcast series ‘The Rest is Politics’ is produced by Lineker’s company Goalhanger Podcasts, defends the TV presenter.
The corporation said in a statement it has been in “extensive discussions with Gary and his team in recent days”.
“We have said that we consider his recent social media activity to be a breach of our guidelines,” the statement added.
“The BBC has decided that he will step back from presenting Match of the Day until we’ve got an agreed and clear position on his use of social media.”
Read more:
Who could step in as presenter and pundits on Match of the Day?
Why lines are blurring between news and politics – Adam Boulton
Is the government’s new Illegal Migration Bill legal?
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Gary Lineker says he doesn’t regret tweet criticising Illegal Migration Bill
The statement continued: “When it comes to leading our football and sports coverage, Gary is second to none. We have never said that Gary should be an opinion-free zone, or that he can’t have a view on issues that matter to him, but we have said that he should keep well away from taking sides on party political issues or political controversies.”
Bectu, a union which represents thousands of BBC workers, said the corporation’s decision was “deeply concerning”.
Philippa Childs, Head of Bectu, said it gives the appearance that the BBC “has bowed to political pressure from ministers to take someone off air for disagreeing with the policies of the current government”.
She added: “Taken with the ongoing controversy over the appointment of the BBC Chairman, who has a much more important role in upholding the reputation of the BBC, and who has not stepped back while under investigation, it also risks given the impression of double standards on these issues.”
It comes after the presenter, 62, said on Thursday that he would be presenting Match of the Day on Saturday as usual after several days of intense criticism over his Twitter posts.
BBC director general Tim Davie told the broadcaster: “I think we always look to take proportionate action – and that’s what we’ve done… As editor in chief of the BBC I think one of our founding principles is impartiality and that’s what we are delivering on.”
He said he “respects” Shearer and Wright’s decision to pull out.
A tweet from Lineker had suggested he was not reprimanded by the BBC for his comments about the small boats policy despite criticism from some politicians.
“Well, it’s been an interesting couple of days,” he wrote on Thursday.
Read more:
A history of Gary Lineker’s most controversial tweets
“Happy that this ridiculously out of proportion story seems to be abating and very much looking forward to presenting @BBCMOTD on Saturday.
“Thanks again for all your incredible support. It’s been overwhelming.”
In response to the BBC’s decision, a spokesperson for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport said: “Individual cases are a matter for the BBC.”
Several commentators and football pundits have reacted to the news, with Gary Neville tweeting: “When you take on the Tories and the system! Awful people who we need gone.”
Meanwhile, Labour has condemned the BBC’s “cowardly decision” to stand Lineker down from MOTD hosting duties, saying: “The BBC’s cowardly decision to take Gary Lineker off air is an assault on free speech in the face of political pressure.
“Tory politicians lobbying to get people sacked for disagreeing with Government policies should be laughed at, not pandered to. The BBC should rethink their decision.”
Criticism from the government
Lineker told reporters outside his London home on Thursday that he stood by his criticism of the government and was not worried about being suspended from the BBC.
His initial controversial tweet saw him compare the language used to announce the government’s policy with 1930s Germany.
It sparked a row over whether he broke BBC impartiality rules.
The former England striker is a freelance broadcaster for BBC Sport.
As he is not a permanent staff member and is not responsible for news or political content, he is not required to adhere to the same regulations on impartiality.
Click to subscribe to the Sky News Daily wherever you get your podcasts
But his comments drew criticism from Conservative Party politicians, with Home Secretary Suella Braverman telling the BBC that the comparison with pre-Second Word War Germany “diminishes the unspeakable tragedy” of the Holocaust, and that the remarks were “offensive” and “lazy and unhelpful”.
The new legislation proposed by the government would mean refugees arriving on small boats in the UK are detained and deported within weeks – either to their own country if it is safe, or a third nation if it is not.
A fresh weather warning for snow has been issued for southern England, with cautions for snow and ice already in place across much of the country.
The Met Office’s yellow weather warning for snow covers the southern counties of England from 9am until midnight on Wednesday.
The warning stretches from Kent to Cornwall and up to south London and the Met Office said between two and five centimetres of snow could accumulate fairly widely, with as much as 10cm over higher ground.
Pic: Met Office
This week is expected to see the coldest nights of the year, with temperatures potentially reaching -14C on Wednesday night and -16C on Thursday night, both in the North East of England and Scotland, the Met Office said.
Weather warnings issued on Tuesday for snow and ice covering the Midlands, parts of North Wales, the North West of England, west and northern parts of Scotland as well as Northern Ireland will remain in place until midday on Wednesday.
The forecaster said some roads and railways are likely to be affected and there could be icy patches on untreated roads.
Pics: AP
Meanwhile the Environment Agency has said at least 300 properties have flooded across England since New Year’s Eve. It estimates more than 41,000 properties have been protected.
Heavy rainfall over the New Year caused significant river and surface water flooding across the North West of England and Yorkshire and snowmelt has brought further disruption to parts of England, particularly the Midlands, the agency said.
Read more from Sky News:
Terrifying firestorm rips through home of film stars and billionaires
Homes destroyed – how people are coping with floods
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Man says flooding ‘came out of nowhere’
Floods minister Emma Hardy said: “My sympathies go out to the people, businesses and communities impacted by the recent flooding across the country.
“I want to express my heartfelt thanks for the vital work that the Environment Agency and emergency services are doing to keep people safe. People must continue to follow their advice and sign up for flood warnings.”
Flood warnings
Some 100 flood warnings were in force across England on Wednesday, with people urged to remain vigilant over the coming days.
A danger-to-life warning was issued on Tuesday morning for the River Soar near Barrow upon Soar, Leicestershire, but was later removed.
People living in caravan parks in the area were urged by the Environment Agency to act, with a large-scale evacuation needed to save lives.
Firefighters have rescued dozens of people across Leicestershire since Monday, Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service said.
Hundreds of schools were closed across the UK, with road and rail links blocked, as Manchester, Bristol and Liverpool John Lennon airports suspended flights because of the conditions.
A six-month-old baby who died after a collision in a multi-storey car park was on a family holiday to Wales.
Sophia Kelemen from Leigh, Manchester, died after the crash in a car park in the coastal town of Tenby, Pembrokeshire, on 2 January.
Sophia’s aunt, Adriana Kelemen, has now launched a fundraiser to help cover funeral costs.
Writing on the page, Ms Kelemen said “never in a million years” did she think she would have to write such a post.
Ms Kelemen said she hoped to “ease a very small part of [her] brother and sister-in-law’s hurt” by raising money to cover part of the funeral costs.
Sophia was taken to hospital after the crash and treated for her injuries but died the following day, police confirmed.
Dyfed-Powys Police said the crash happened on the ground floor of the car park and that a man had been charged in connection with the incident.
Sophia Kelemen. Pic: Adriana Kelemen/GoFundMe
Speaking to the Manchester Evening News, Ms Kelemen described her niece as “smiley and bubbly” and “so advanced for her age”.
Sophia was “playful and energetic” and “the cutest and most adorable girl”, her aunt added.
Read more from Sky News:
Hospital declares critical incident amid rising flu cases
Ex-husband shares tribute to RuPaul’s Drag Race star
A spokesperson for Dyfed-Powys Police said Sophia’s family were being supported by specialist officers.
The force said it was a “tragic incident” and asked the public not to speculate on the circumstances.
Jess Phillips has said “nothing is off the table” when dealing with the grooming gangs scandal – including a new national inquiry if victims want one.
The safeguarding minister told Sky’s political editor Beth Rigby on the Electoral Dysfunction podcast that she would listen to victims on a new panel that was announced by the government this week.
“Nothing is off the table,” she said.
“And if the victims come forward to me in this victims panel and they say, ‘actually, we think there needs to be a national inquiry into this’, I’ll listen to them.”
Politics latest: Tories told to ‘put up or shut up’
Her comments come days after it emerged she had rejected calls from Oldham Council to hold a government inquiry into grooming gangs in the town, and said the council should commission one instead.
That has led to tech billionaire Elon Musk attacking her and Sir Keir Starmer for not holding a national inquiry and accusing the prime minister of being “complicit” in the abuse.
Professor Alexis Jay finished an eight-year national inquiry into child sexual abuse in 2022 and set out recommendations for the government.
Read more:
What happened in the grooming gangs scandal?
Why the Tories’ attempts to force inquiry won’t work
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Education sec ‘not interested’ in Musk comments
The Conservatives tabled an amendment to the Children’s Safeguarding and Schools Bill on Wednesday to require a statutory inquiry into grooming gangs.
However, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson told Sky News the Tories “don’t care about children” as the amendment could prevent the entire bill from going forward.
She said: “The measures that I’m setting out today and the legislation in many ways go further because it puts a requirement on all councils to have teams working to keep children safe.
“And the bandwagon jumpers that have come along in recent days, they don’t care about children, they don’t care about making sure that we stop this and we take action.
“They had years to do it and they didn’t do it.”
The Conservatives also rejected a call from Oldham Council for a government inquiry in 2022.
You can listen to Beth’s full interview with Jess Phillips in a special episode of Electoral Dysfunction released on Thursday.
-
Sports2 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports9 months agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports1 year agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports3 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Business2 years agoBank of England’s extraordinary response to government policy is almost unthinkable | Ed Conway