Former Match Of The Day presenter Gary Lineker has won the best TV presenter prize at the National Television Awards – months after he left the BBC following an antisemitism row.

Lineker, 64, apologised “unreservedly” in May after he shared a post on Instagram about Zionism which featured an image of a rat – a symbol used to represent Jewish people in antisemitic propaganda, including in Nazi Germany.

The former England footballer said in a statement that he would “never knowingly share anything antisemitic” and that he removed the post when he “became aware of the issue”.

He announced he was leaving the BBC days later, saying that “stepping back now feels like the responsible course of action”.

Lineker had presented Match Of The Day since 1999 and was the BBC’s highest-paid on-air talent when he stepped down.

Prior to the antisemitism row in May, Lineker already had a reputation for sharing political views on social media – something which went against the BBC’s impartiality rules.

This included posts about Tory migrant policy, Brexit, Qatar’s human rights record and a documentary about Gaza.

Collecting his “TV Presenter Of The Year” award last night, Lineker said: “I think it demonstrates that perhaps it’s OK sometimes for us to use our platform to speak up on behalf of those who have no voice.”

Lineker’s win at the National Television Awards also ended Ant and Dec’s 23-year streak in scooping the best presenter prize.

Speaking at the winners’ press conference after the ceremony, the former Match Of The Day host said the presenting duo, whose real names are Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly, are “brilliant” and that “it’s an honour to follow in their footsteps”.

Reflecting on life after presenting Match Of The Day, Lineker added: “I’m doing great. I’m enjoying having weekends off for the first time in my adult life, which has been great fun.

“I’m still watching loads of football, still doing the same sort of things, and I’ve got a new show coming up for ITV, which I start filming next week – The Box, which goes out, I think, probably next year.”

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Asked if the award proves he has not been cancelled, he said: “I don’t think anyone seriously thought that I was cancelled at any point.

“It was obviously just a mistake and oversight. And I think everyone saw it for that.

“So I was never in the slightest bit concerned for that.”

Former England footballer Alan Shearer, a Match Of The Day pundit who worked alongside Lineker on the show, posted on X: “Yesssss @GaryLineker congratulations.”

The former footballer also beat competition from The Traitors host Claudia Winkleman, This Morning’s Alison Hammond and TV presenter and reality star Stacey Solomon to win the best presenter prize.

Sir Elton John has said he is “so proud” of Watford FC as the football club released a new kit marking 50 years since he became its chairman.

The blue shirts and silver shorts will be worn by the Championship team for the first time in their home game against Blackburn Rovers on Saturday.

Watford, who are nicknamed the Hornets, have worn yellow home shirts since 1959.

The choice of blue is inspired by the colour Watford wore during the singer’s early days as a supporter.

Speaking in a launch video for the kit, the 78-year-old musician said: “My passion for this club has never died, and I’m so proud of this club, ever since I was five years old when we played in blue and there were two rickety old stands.

“What can I say? It’s in my heart and my soul, you can’t get rid of it. The supporters of this club have always been in my heart.”

The shirt is inspired by the artwork for his Diamonds hits compilation, and features his E logo, an embossed print of the lyrics of his hit track Your Song, and the Happy Hornet badge, which was the club logo when Sir Elton became chairman in 1976.

Complementing the shirt are silver shorts with E taping running down both sides. The silver WFC crest features on the shorts.

Sir Elton remains honorary life president at the club, having left his second stint as chairman in 2002, with Watford crediting the star with changing “the trajectory and future of the club forever”.

During his time as chairman, the club rose from the fourth division to second place in the top flight in the late 1970s and early 1980s, playing European football and reaching an FA Cup final.

Watford are currently managed by Paulo Pezzolano. The team are 14th in the Championship table, having won just one of their first five league matches.

Sir Elton has enjoyed 10 UK number one albums and 10 UK number one singles during his career.

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He is best known for songs such as Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and Candle In The Wind.

The shirts will be in a special edition gift box, and will be available in the club’s shops and online from 9am on Friday. Fans can pre-order now.

A new Banksy artwork that sprung up at the Royal Courts of Justice in London is being scrubbed off.

The mural depicted a protester lying on the ground holding a blood-spattered placard, while a judge, dressed in a wig and gown, loomed over him while wielding a gavel.

The work was first seen on Monday on an external wall of the Queen’s Building, part of the Royal Courts of Justice complex.

It was covered up and guarded by security staff, with HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) taking the decision to remove it due to the building being listed and therefore legally protected.

It is understood that work began to remove the image on Tuesday and resumed on Wednesday.

Good Law Project posted on X about the artwork’s removal, stating: “The court is erasing Banksy’s mural just like it’s erasing our right to protest.

“It only took 48 hours for the Royal Courts of Justice to scrub out a Banksy showing a judge striking down a protester with his gavel.

“Silencing a work of art about silencing protest? Maybe it was a little too close to home.”

Banksy confirmed he was responsible for the work with a post on Instagram, showing the graffiti before it was covered over.

The artist, whose identity is the source of constant speculation, captioned the pictures: “Royal Courts Of Justice. London.”

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Banksy is known for his graffiti and performance art pranks.

His Love Is In The Bin artwork – which famously shredded itself after being sold in 2018 – sold at auction in 2021 for £18.5m.

Elsewhere, a Banksy mural removed from the wall of a former shop in Lowestoft, Suffolk, in 2021 was later sold for an undisclosed sum.

At the time, experts said it could have fetched hundreds of thousands of pounds, with rumours swirling it may have gone for up to £2m.

Banksy’s stencilled graffiti is often a comment on political issues, and many of his pieces are critical of government policy, war and capitalism.

The artwork comes after almost 900 demonstrators were arrested for protesting in central London on Saturday against the banning of Palestine Action as a terror group.

It was proscribed by the UK government under anti-terror laws earlier this year.

It makes membership of, or support for, the direct action group a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison, while even wearing a T-shirt or badge with the group’s name on could attract a maximum six-month sentence.

The ban came shortly after two Voyager aircraft suffered around £7m worth of damage at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire on 20 June.

Banksy’s artwork also came weeks after the Lady Chief Justice, the most senior judge in England and Wales, repeated concerns for the safety of judges, who she said had been subjected to “increasingly unacceptable sensationalist and inaccurate abuse”.

The work was reported as criminal damage, with the Metropolitan Police stating that inquiries were ongoing.

A HMCTS spokesperson said: “The Royal Courts of Justice is a listed building and HMCTS are obliged to maintain its original character.”