Rishi Sunak has tried to distance the government from the BBC’s controversy over the suspension of football presenter Gary Lineker for allegedly breaching its policy of political impartiality.
The prime minister called on broadcasters to quickly resolve the issue, increasing pressure on Tim Davie, the director-general, who apologized to viewers for the upheaval and said he was trying to get Lineker back on track.
“Gary Lineker is a great footballer and a talented presenter,” Sunak said in a statement issued at 6pm on Friday suggesting he was beginning to feel the political heat over the issue.
“I hope that the current situation between Gary Lineker and the BBC can be resolved in time, but that is a matter for him, not the government.”
Sunak’s statement came after a day of chaos at the BBC that disrupted sports programming, including its flagship. Match the day TV show, when Lineker’s colleagues came out to support the veteran presenter and former England player.
There the BBC has asked Lineker to “resign” from Match the day when he thrashed out an agreement with him in future activities on social media. The row was sparked when Lineker compared the government’s language on migration to that heard in Germany in the 1930s in comments he made on Twitter.
Davie told BBC News on Saturday that “success for me is getting Gary back”, adding that he was prepared to review impartiality rules for freelance staff like Lineker. The director general said he would “absolutely not” resign but admitted “this is a difficult time for the BBC”.
He said there was no “pandering” to political parties amid allegations from Labor that BBC executives bowed to pressure from Downing Street and ministers over Lineker’s remarks.
Davie admitted it was a “difficult day” for the company, but said “we are working hard to resolve the situation”.
Workers claim Sunak is trying to duck responsibility for the fuel line.
In recent days Suella Braverman, the home secretary, and Lucy Frazer, the culture secretary, have both criticized Lineker, while Tory MPs and right-wing newspapers, particularly the Daily Mail, have called for a delay.
Lucy Powell, the shadow culture secretary, said: “It’s just depressing that the BBC is giving in to this Tory bullying, but the prime minister’s tears now that he can see the Tories have got the idiots wrong.”
The dispute broke out as Davie sought to uphold the company’s impartiality, which he said was a key ambition when he took over in September 2020. But the company’s leadership faced increasing pressure due to its perceived pro-government bias.
As a sports presenter, Lineker has been given more freedom than a BBC journalist to express his views in public. Some of the company’s critics have suggested the rule should be repealed.