Gary Lineker is in the spotlight once again for his criticism of Conservative politicians.
The television presenter took to social media and added his name to an open letter condemning the government’s controversial Rwanda bill and calling on political leaders to scrap the scheme.
Details of the furore
Tory MP Jonathan Gullis hit back at the former footballer saying it was ‘yet another breach of the BBC’s impartiality rules by Gary Lineker’.
Samir Shah, the government’s proposed new chair of the BBC, has said the corporation are likely to look into Lineker’s comments to see if they breach social media guidelines.
This is not the first time Lineker has found himself engaged in such a controversy.
He was axed from Match of the Day earlier this year after criticising the government’s asylum seeker policy.
The suspension caused a crisis at the BBC and affected their coverage as colleagues pulled out of programmes in support of Lineker.
The former England striker subsequently returned, while the BBC updated their social media guidelines in a bid to try to prevent high-profile presenters from expressing strong political views.
Lineker hits back
Lineker has continued his war of words with Conserative politicians on social media.
He posted the following response to Gullis: ‘Jonathan hasn’t read the new guidelines….or, should I say, had someone read them to him?’
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The Match of the Day host also had a sharp reponse for defence secretary Grant Schapps, who had told him to ‘get on with commenting on football and stop meddling in these other areas’.
Lineker posted on X: ‘A tad rich coming from someone who can’t even stick to one name. 4 chaps Shapps.’
What happens next?
Lineker will now have to wait and see if his actions have been deemed as breaking impartiality rules.
Shah has told MPs that Lineker’s decision to sign the letter criticising the Rwanda bill ‘did not breach those guidelines’, but hinted that his subsequent post aimed at Schapps does ‘on the face of it, seem to breach those guidelines’.
