The BBC had suspended him for violating internal standards of impartiality for his highly criticized tweet in which he compared the immigration crackdown of the conservative government of Rishi Sunak to the rhetoric used by Nazi Germany in the thirties. Now the BBC has reinstated Gary Lineker to run the British public broadcaster.
The former England footballer turned TV face and the management of the BBC have reached an agreement to allow the return to air of the presenter of 'Match of the Day' after interruptions in the sports schedule of the broadcaster over the weekend following the defection of various stars and commentators who wanted to express their solidarity with Lineker. The BBC's director general, Tim Davie, called the presenter a "valuable member" of staff within the broadcaster and announced that an independent review of internal social media guidelines will be launched with a focus on freelancers such as Lineker.
The current guidelines will remain in place while the work is completed, added Davie, who again apologized for disruptions in sports programming. And Lineker has agreed to abide by the rules of procedure while the review is being carried out. The former footballer said he was "immensely proud" to work for the broadcaster and is looking forward to returning to the show's hosting after a few "surreal" days. He also thanked his colleagues for their solidarity. The BBC in recent days had been accused of "censorship" after the suspension following the harsh attacks against Lineker by the Tory team in government.