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8th March 2023
08:22am GMT
Gary Lineker will be 'given a talking-to' by the BBC following a social media post in which he appeared to compare Home Office policy to Nazi Germany.
The Match of the Day presenter, who has 8.6 million followers on Twitter, commented on a video put out by home secretary Suella Braverman in which she unveiled new controversial plans to stop migrant boats crossing the Channel.
Under the proposed legislation, anyone arriving in Britain by crossing the Channel in a small boat – or any other unauthorised means – would no longer be able to claim asylum in the UK.
Instead, they would only be eligible for asylum in a “safe” third country, such as Rwanda, and be handed a lifetime ban on citizenship or re-entry to the UK and potentially jail time.
Responding to the plans, Lineker tweeted: “Good heavens, this is beyond awful.”
He then replied to a user who challenged him because it was “easy to pontificate when it doesn’t affect you”.
Lineker 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, and I’m out of order?”
Lineker will reportedly be “reminded of his responsibilities on social media” by the corporation following backlash from the Conservatives.
Tory party deputy chairman Lee Anderson wrote: “This is just another example of how out of touch these overpaid stars are with the voting public.
“Instead of lecturing, Mr Lineker should stick to reading out the football scores and flogging crisps.”
A BBC source told The Daily Telegraph: “Gary will be spoken to and reminded of his responsibilities on social media.”
A spokesperson for the corporation added: “The BBC has social media guidance, which is published.
“Individuals who work for us are aware of their responsibilities relating to social media. We have appropriate internal processes in place if required.”
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