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Gary Lineker is set to return to the airwaves after the BBC lifted the former footballer’s suspension on Monday for a post on Twitter criticizing the UK government’s new migration policy.
The about-face follows a weekend of chaos and crisis for Britain’s publicly funded national broadcaster, which faced a huge backlash over the suspension of one of its most famous hosts for expressing political opinions.
“Gary is an important part of the BBC and I know how important the BBC is to Gary, and I look forward to his coverage this weekend,” BBC director general Tim Davie said.
Lineker said he was “happy that we have found a way forward.”
After a few real days, I’m really glad we’ve gone this route. I want to thank you for your incredible support, especially my colleagues at BBC Sport, for your incredible show of solidarity. Football is a team game but the support is huge. 1/4
Lineker, one of England’s most lauded footballers and the company’s highest-paid television presenter, was suspended on Friday after describing the government’s plans to detain and deport migrants arriving by boat as “a very cruel policy aimed at the most vulnerable people in the language. not unlike the German used in the 30s.”
The Conservative government called Lineker’s Nazi comparison offensive and unacceptable, and some MPs said the BBC should end its contract.
The broadcaster said the tweet violated impartiality rules, but critics accused him of denying free speech.
The BBC was forced to cut its weekend sports program after Premier League commentators, analysts and players refused to appear in support of Lineker.
The premier football show Match the day this is reduced from the usual 90 minutes of highlights and analysis to 20 minutes compilation of clips from the game of the day, without commentary or punditry. Other TV and radio football shows were pulled from the Saturday and Sunday schedules due to a lack of staff willing to present them.
The neutrality rule under scrutiny
Davie insisted on Monday that the BBC “did the right thing” by suspending Lineker, but there will now be an independent review of the BBC’s social media rules to address “grey areas” in the guidelines.
“Between now and when the report is reviewed, Gary will adhere to editorial guidelines,” he said.
The 100-year-old BBC, which is funded by a license fee paid by all households with a television, has a duty to be impartial in its news coverage, and BBC news staff are prohibited from expressing political opinions.
Lineker, as a freelancer who does not work in news or current affairs, is not bound by the same rules, and has sometimes pushed the boundaries of what the BBC considers acceptable. Last year, the BBC found it had breached impartiality rules by tweeting about alleged Russian donations to the Conservatives.
The BBC’s neutrality has come under fresh scrutiny over revelations that its chairman, Richard Sharp – a Conservative Party donor – helped arrange a loan for Prime Minister Boris Johnson in 2021, weeks before Sharp was appointed to the BBC post on the government’s recommendation.
Lineker said it had been a “few days” and thanked them for their support.
“Final thought: as hard as the past few days have been, it just doesn’t compare to having to flee your home from persecution or war to seek refuge in a faraway land,” he tweeted. “It’s heartwarming to see the empathy towards his plight from so many of you.”
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