Gary Lineker has left the BBC in a difficult predicament which could set a dangerous precedent over the corporation’s guidelines, according to political commentator Alex Deane.
The Match of the Day host, 62, has faced criticism from Home Secretary Suella Braverman after comparing the language used to launch the Government’s migrant policy with 1930s Germany.
Speaking on GB News, Deane claimed BBC inaction over the presenter’s position could result in a potentially dangerous precedent.
He said: “It can’t have been clearer when Lineker was disciplined last year for breaching the guidelines for what he said about the alleged Tory party alleged Russian donors.
BBC sources say Lineker will face a "frank conversation"PA“They made it clear that the guidance does apply to Lineker and that he breached them with party political positions.
“They made it clear that their presenters should not debate in party political issues and debates and they should avoid political controversies, and their personal accounts are inextricably linked to their position as a BBC presenter.
“He couldn’t have been more fairly warned by them last year and that of course in turn is a debate that goes back to the post-Brexit period, when he was told he shouldn’t be tweeting about Brexit the way he did.
“I feel really sorry for the director general given how much of an asset Gary Lineker is for the corporation, but the trouble is, if they can’t enforce the guidelines on one of their most high-profile people, and certainly their most paid, then presumably the guidelines don’t really apply to anybody.”
BBC director-general Tim Davie previously warned staff over their use of social media when he took on the role at the end of 2020, and guidelines around social media use have since been updated.
Staff were told they need to follow editorial guidelines and editorial oversight in the same way as when doing BBC content.
On Wednesday, Mr Davie told the BBC he had not spoken to Lineker, before being asked about how many “strikes” he has had on impartiality and social media.
Mr Davie said: “I wouldn’t talk specifically about individuals; I don’t think it’s right. I think the BBC absolutely puts the highest value on impartiality and that’s clearly important to us.”
A BBC source told PA that the corporation was taking the matter “seriously” and expects a “frank conversation” with Lineker.
Energy Secretary Grant Shapps added his voice to Lineker’s criticism, saying: “As a Jewish Cabinet minister I need no lessons about 1930s Germany from Gary Lineker.
“Like Gary, I am hosting refugees in my own home, but unlike Gary, I do not believe it is either right or moral to tolerate criminal gangs trafficking vulnerable people across the Channel.”
On Tuesday, Lineker wrote on Twitter about a Home Office video in which Ms Braverman unveiled the Government’s plans to stop migrants crossing the Channel on small boats and said the UK is being “overwhelmed”.
The ex-England striker wrote: “There is no huge influx. We take far fewer refugees than other major European countries.
“This is just an immeasurably cruel policy directed at the most vulnerable people in language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the ’30s.”
Following the criticism on Wednesday, he wrote on Twitter “anything going on?” and then followed this up with another post saying the “freedom of speech champions” were “demanding silence from those with whom they disagree”.
“I have never known such love and support in my life than I’m getting this morning (England World Cup goals aside, possibly),” he also wrote. “I’ll continue to try and speak up for those poor souls that have no voice.”
Lineker is not a permanent member of staff at the BBC and is instead on a freelance contact.
He is therefore not responsible for news or political content so does not need to adhere to the same rules on impartiality.