Gary Lineker dared to stand against Tory MP at general election as bitter feud escalates
'Why are they protecting Gary Lineker?' - BBC roasted for sacking Vorderman …
Tory MP Jonathan Gullis has dared BBC presenter Gary Lineker to stand against him at the next general election, in a new escalation of their ongoing feud.
The row began after Lineker posted criticism of the Rwanda scheme on social media.
Gullis, MP for Stoke-on-Trent North, claimed the Match of the Day presenter had breached the BBC's impartiality guidelines with his remarks.
He called for Lineker to "put himself on the ballot paper" and "let the public decide".
Tory MP Jonathan Gullis has dared BBC presenter Gary Lineker to stand against him at the next general election, in a new escalation of their ongoing feud
PA
Speaking to Sky News, Gullis said: "Gary’s constantly trying to get likes on Twitter, or X as it’s now called.”
He accused Lineker of dragging the BBC's name "through the mud", suggesting he "lives by a very different set of rules" than other presenters on the channel.
The MP added: "And then he can do things like Sky do which is be allowed to have reporters have more public opinions.
“Gary needs to spend less time virtue signalling and more time talking about football, which he’s actually very good at. But it’s just a shame that he seems to think that he is a politician in making.
“As I’ve said to him, if he’s really desperate to get into politics, Stoke-on-Trent North, put himself on the ballot paper, let the public decide.”
In December, incoming BBC chairman Samir Shah confirmed that Gary Lineker's tweets to Gullis appeared to break the broadcaster's new social media guidelines.
This came after Lineker signed a letter calling for the Government to scrap its Rwanda scheme.
The letter demanded political leaders come up with a "fair new plan for refugees".
Lineker joined 30 others in signing the letter, including actors Brian Cox, Juliet Stevenson and David Morrissey, as well as Kaiser Chiefs musician Simon Rix.
Gullis hit out at the BBC on X accusing Lineker of breaching the broadcaster's new impartiality guidelines, which state that presenters must not endorse or attack a political party or criticise the character or individual politicians in the UK.
But the presenter hit back saying: "Jonathan hasn’t read the new guidelines…or, should I say, had someone read them to him."
Asked by the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee about "what appears to be the eternal BBC problem with Gary Lineker", Shah said: "I think the initial two posts were considered, as far as I'm aware, did not breach that.
"But I think this last one, the one that identified specifically to politicians, seems to me on the face of it, a breach of those guidelines and I imagine the BBC is looking into that."
When asked if he thinks Gary Lineker is "putting two fingers up" to any guidelines the BBC produces, Shah responded: "I do understand the point you're making.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
"First of all, I think in terms of whether we've got the balance right with freedom of expression - the BBC is in favour of freedom of expression - but also we've got to be impartial.
"The BBC is very clear when it comes to news and current affairs. But there is this grey area, in which Mr Lineker sits, and I share your frustration.
"I would certainly invite the director general and his team to find a solution to this because really we do need to find a solution to this."
At the time, Gullis wrote a letter to the BBC's Director General Tim Davie complaining about Lineker's remarks and warning that he faces a "catastrophic loss of trust" if he fails to take action.