British newspapers report that Gary Lineker's future as a BBC football commentator is at stake. Lineker had written on Twitter that the government's language of its plans to enact stricter laws on the entry of boat refugees was reminiscent of Germany in the thirties.
Gina Thomas
Feuilleton correspondent based in London.
- Follow I follow
With these remarks, the former football star, who is the highest paid employee of the public broadcaster with a salary of £1.35 million, has aroused the ire of Conservative critics. Many members of the government, from the Minister of Culture to the Minister of Transport to the Minister of State for Immigration, pointed to her german-Jewish heritage to lend authority to their disapproval of Lineker's comparison with the Hitler regime.
Political statements are not welcome
Lineker's critics refer to the station's impartiality requirement. The guidelines also remind those who do not work with news of their "additional responsibility to the BBC". This expects employees to avoid online and offline "taking a stand on party political issues or political disputes and paying attention when dealing with public issues".
Lineker argues that as a freelancer, he has the right to express his opinion outside the organization. He has often been with this. Just as he has now condemned the British government's asylum measures as "an immeasurably cruel policy", he began his moderation of the opening match of the World Cup with a monologue on the lack of human rights in Qatar. When then-Foreign Secretary Liz Truss demanded a year ago that English teams boycott the Champions League final in St. Petersburg over the Ukraine war, Lineker reprimanded the BBC over the question of whether the Tories would return their donations from Russian donors.
This year alone, Lineker has repeatedly been critical of political issues, often in a mocking tone that leaves no doubt about his position on the current government. In mid-February, he encouraged racing driver Lewis Hamilton to express his opinion despite the Formula 1 ban on political statements.
Lineker tweeted: "Well done, Lewis Hamilton. What's the point of having a big platform if you don't use it for good? Freedom of speech and everything . . . In the uproar over his recent comments, Lineker also refers to the right to freedom of expression. In doing so, he puts the BBC in a predicament. Because in the fight for the future of the station, CEO Tim Davie had given impartiality the highest priority.
However, he could not precisely define the relationship with freelance employees such as Lineker. Davie said he would have an open conversation with the presenter. He is undaunted. The world has gone crazy, Lineker commented on the BBC's decision to make his case the lead story of the evening news on television.