Gary Lineker WILL NOT face disciplinary action BBC confirms as £1. 35m-a-year presenter laughs off impartiality row and says he stands by tweets comparing Suella Braverman's immigration policy to Nazi Germany Lineker said today that he stands by his criticism of Tory immigration policy BBC source says corporation has spoken to him and he won't be disciplined By Mark Duell for MailOnline and Paul Revoir For The Daily Mail Published: 10:55, 9 March 2023 | Updated: 12:50, 9 March 2023 e-mail 13 shares 1. 4k View comments Gary Lineker will not be disciplined over his criticism of the Government's migrant policy, it was claimed today as the BBC presenter said he stood by his comments.
Bosses at the corporation are said to have spoken to the 62-year-old Match of the Day presenter and it was decided that he would not be sacked or face any action. A BBC source told The Sun: 'We have spoken to Gary and he won't face any disciplinary action. From our perspective the situations has been resolved now and we want him to get back to what he's best at, which is being a brilliant sports presenter.
' The Match of the Day host has faced a huge backlash after comparing the language used during the announcement of the Illegal Migration Bill with 1930s Nazi Germany. Lineker has doubled down on his remarks but the BBC's news staff were said to be 'boiling' with anger that he breached impartiality rules that they have to obey. Today, the £1.
35million-a-year star said 'yes I would like to say something, very good morning to you' as he walked to a waiting car outside his £4million London home. As Lineker walked round the back of the car, he said 'no' when asked if he fears suspension over his tweets. Then as he climbed into a rear seat, he responded to a reporter asking if he has spoken to the BBC, saying: 'I'm always talking to the BBC.
' Asked if he had spoken to the director general, he said, after a pause, 'yeah' before adding 'he said. . .
well we chat often'. Before closing the door, he was asked if he regretted his tweet, responding 'no' and asked if he stood by it he said 'course'. When asked 'do you stand by what you said in your tweet?', he said 'course'.
And when asked 'do you fear getting suspended?', Lineker told reporters 'no. ' It comes after Richard Ayre, the BBC's former controller of editorial policy, warned that the corporation's boss Tim Davie might have to 'let him [Lineker] go unless he can be certain that this is the end of it'. The BBC's Match Of The Day host Gary Lineker leaves his home in London this morning The £1.
35million-a-year star briefly answered two questions outside his London home today Mr Ayre described Lineker as 'one of the BBC's crown jewels', adding: 'Just as you can't have sundry members of the House of Windsor slagging off the government of the day because it would call the role of the King into question, you can't have a member of the BBC royal family comparing Suella Braverman to the Third Reich. ' READ MORE - Gary Lineker's long history of Twitter own goals and gaffes
co. uk/v8/gb/news/none/article/other/mpu_factbox. html?id=mpu_factbox_1 - -> Advertisement Earlier, this morning it had been claimed BBC boss Tim Davie could have to fire Lineker over his anti-Tory tweets flouting strict impartiality rules.
Richard Ayre, the BBC's former controller of editorial policy, warned that Mr Davie might have to 'let him go unless he can be certain that this is the end of it'. The £1. 35million-a-year host has faced heavy criticism after comparing the language used during the announcement of the Illegal Migration Bill with 1930s Nazi Germany .
Lineker has doubled down on his remarks but the BBC's news staff were said to be 'boiling' with anger that he breached impartiality rules that they have to obey. Mr Ayre described Lineker as 'one of the BBC's crown jewels', adding: 'Just as you can't have sundry members of the House of Windsor slagging off the government of the day because it would call the role of the King into question, you can't have a member of the BBC royal family comparing Suella Braverman to the Third Reich. 'It just isn't acceptable.
So the question is do you stop, and really stop – not just pause, not wait a few months – do you stop now or do you have to go somewhere else?' Asked whether director general Mr Davie could have to 'let him [Mr Lineker] go', Mr Ayre told BBC Radio 4's Today programme this morning: 'I don't think he is going to have any choice but to let him go unless he can be certain that this is the end of it. ' The former BBC trustee also mentioned a separate investigation into chairman Richard Sharp, who was alleged to have helped Boris Johnson get an £800,000 loan before the then prime minister backed his appointment to the corporation. Gary Lineker smiles as he walks towards a car outside his home in London this morning The BBC's Match Of The Day host Gary Lineker is seen outside his home in London today Home Secretary Suella Braverman, pictured outside Downing Street in London on Tuesday Mr Ayre added: 'It is quite likely that within the next few days or weeks, we'll perhaps see two heads roll – one from the left and one from the right, the chairman and Gary Lineker.
Loudmouth Lineker hurled ugly slurs at me and got away with it. So will the BBC now grasp the nettle and sack him, asks broadcaster NANA AKUA
co. uk/v8/gb/news/none/article/other/mpu_factbox. html?id=mpu_factbox_2 - -> Advertisement 'And then maybe once each side has scored a goal, we can get back to normal business.
' He continued: 'The BBC has an imperative over the next year or more to walk an absolutely straight line politically. You can almost sense. .
. the start of a Government strategy here – re-energised disillusioned Brexit voters blame continuing immigration on lawyers like Keir Starmer, blame it on the Supreme Court, blame it on better still the European Court of Human Rights, blame it on the Refugee Convention, blame it on woke media, blame it on woke metropolitan elites. 'It's absolutely essential that if this culture war is going to be part of the next election campaign, the BBC's role is simple.
People like you [presenter Nick Robinson] have to ask the toughest questions, on the people who run the government and the people who want to run the government. But you've got to do it completely impartially. ' Mr Ayre also said: 'I think he's got to consider whether he wants to remain simply the best and the most-watched and the most-admired sports presenter in the land.
'I don't think I've ever come across a presenter with more natural flair than Gary Lineker as well as his knowledge of the business. Richard Ayre, the BBC's former controller of editorial policy, said the corporation's director general could have to dismiss Gary Lineker following his recent Twitter commentary BBC director-general Tim Davie chose his words carefully when asked about it, saying: 'The BBC absolutely puts the highest value on impartiality and that's clearly important to us' 'He's got to consider, does he want to do that for the BBC on the biggest channel in Britain, or does he want to go to a lesser channel, get paid probably quite a lot more money than he's even paid now and become a social media influencer, which he'd be very good at?' READ MORE - 85% of MailOnline readers think Gary Lineker should be sacked - have your say
