Gary Lineker must leave BBC as Jeremy Clarkson hits out in neutrality row
Shamir Shah, BBC chairman elect, says Gary Lineker broke rules
Gary Lineker has been urged to leave the BBC by fellow presenter Jeremy Clarkson. The Match of the Day host has been accused of breaching impartiality at the corporation once again in relation to the government’s Rwanda policy.
It comes after the 63-year-old’s replies on X, formerly Twitter, “seemed to breach” rules against attacking individuals, according to the incoming chairman of the broadcaster. The Grand Tour presenter, also 63, questioned why Gary “doesn’t just leave”, then being “free to say what he wants”.
Jeremy suggested it was unlikely the ex-footballer wanted to “harm” the BBC and that he didn’t need the role for financial reasons. Speaking out in his latest column for The Sun, in a piece entitled, Leave Beeb, Gary, the Clarkson’s Farm star said: “The new chairman of the BBC is saying, after Gary had a go at a Tory minister, that maybe he’s out of order again. What’s to be done?
“I suspect Gary likes the BBC and doesn’t want to harm it, so why doesn’t he just leave?” Jeremy continued: “He earns a great deal from his very successful podcast empire so he wouldn’t suffer financially.
“He’d then be free to say what he wants.” The star then quipped: “And the BBC could replace him on MOTD with someone who thinks Gaza is a nickname for Paul Gascoigne.”
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Gary previously added his name to an open letter opposing the government’s plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda.
It quickly sparked criticism from Tory MPs including Defence Secretary Grant Shapps, party deputy chairman Lee Anderson and Jonathan Gullis.
The television favourite went on to speak out on X in view of his 8.9 million followers.
Lee had stated: “What the people want is to stop the boats and to tell overpaid crisp salesmen to put a sock in it.
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“Alongside cracking down on illegal migration, we need another robust system which keeps Lineker as far away from the public as possible, to give us all a rest from his left wing out of touch nonsense.”
Replying to the quotes, Gary wrote: “I guess we’ll find out what the will of the British people is at the next general election.
“If you do end up out of work, I’ll put in a word for you with @walkers_crisps.”
He also criticised Grant and Jonathan, claiming the latter “hasn’t read the new guidelines… or, should I say, had someone read them to him?”
Dr Samir Shah, 71, later told the Culture Media and Sport Committee that he didn’t think that the row “was very helpful either for Gary Lineker or the BBC or the cause he supports because it becomes a story about Gary Lineker and the BBC”.
He continued: “Non-news presenters are free to express their opinions but there is some guidance on civility, manner, and not to make ad hominem attacks.
“So as far as I am aware, the signing of the letter did not breach those guidelines.”
But said that “the more recent tweet [where] Mr Lineker identified two politicians does on the face of it seem to breach those particular guidelines”.
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