OMG, I always suspected the Brits had zero sense of humor.
I say let Gary stay. In fact, I say let him have a weekly guest spot on Fox News.
BBC Staff Revolts Over Suspension of Sports Commentator for Political Tweets
Gary Lineker’s co-workers defend his right to free speech, some refuse to appear on air
BBC sports commentator Gary Lineker was suspended after publishing tweets criticizing the U.K. government’s new policies on migrants.
By Max Colchester and David Luhnow, WSJ
Updated March 11, 2023 12:40 pm ET
LONDON—The British Broadcasting Corp. has sparked one of its biggest crises in years by suspending its top sports commentator for criticizing the U.K. government on Twitter, leading to a staff rebellion and allegations that the state-funded broadcaster had compromised its independence by folding to government pressure.
The venerable broadcaster yanked Gary Lineker, one of England’s most famous former football players and its highest paid presenter, from the country’s most watched football roundup show after he published tweets criticizing the government’s new policies on migrants, comparing them to Nazi Germany. The BBC said it considered Mr. Lineker’s “recent social media activity to be a breach of our guidelines” and said he “should keep well away from taking sides on party political issues or political controversies.”
The move triggered a mutiny among fellow BBC sports pundits, several of whom defended Mr. Lineker’s right to free speech and refused to appear on air. The walkout meant that its flagship “Match of the Day” soccer show on Saturday night would have no pundit analysis for one of the first times since the program first aired in 1964 and instead would feature a series of highlights from the Premier League. On Saturday the BBC’s 5 Live radio, which normally covers live soccer games, was at one point playing old podcasts.
The BBC issued an apology for the disruption to its “limited sports programming this weekend” and said it hoped to resolve the issue soon.
Mr. Lineker, one of England’s all-time leading international goal scorers and a widely liked personality, was suspended after tweeting to his 8.8 million followers that a new U.K. government ban on asylum seekers arriving illegally by small boats was an “immeasurably cruel policy directed at the most vulnerable people in language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s.”
The government of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak complained about Mr. Lineker’s comments, and days later the state-funded broadcaster said it suspended him until it had agreed to a “clear position” on Mr. Lineker’s use of social media. The BBC’s director general Tim Davie issued guidance to employees in 2020 ordering them not to express opinions on social media to preserve the BBC’s impartiality.
“If you want to be an opinionated columnist or a partisan campaigner on social media, then that is a valid choice, but you should not be working at the BBC,” Mr. Davie said in 2020.
The fracas gets to the heart of a historic tension at the broadcaster: It is funded by the state, but strives to remain impartial in its news coverage, and is generally seen as having aggressive coverage of the government, regardless of the political party in charge. Indeed, much of its website Saturday was given over to coverage of its own scandal. But while staffers are largely bound to remaining neutral, celebrity broadcasters such as Mr. Lineker are treated with more latitude to avoid them defecting to other channels.
Gary Lineker attended a Premier League match on Saturday.
PHOTO: MARC ATKINS/GETTY IMAGES
Fair or not, the perception of bending to government pressure could damage the reputation of the broadcaster, which is one of the country’s key institutions and as central to national identity as the state-run health service or the monarchy.
A former head of the BBC, Greg Dyke, said the corporation had “undermined its credibility” by ordering Mr. Lineker off the air and creating the perception it was bowing to government pressure. “I do think the BBC has made a mistake here,” he told BBC radio. “And over 20 years since I left the BBC, I have never publicly criticized the leadership of the BBC because I know it’s a difficult job.”
At a time of growing political polarization in many democracies, the BBC has found itself in an increasingly uncomfortable position, criticized by politicians on both sides of the aisle for perceived bias, in particular during Britain’s divorce from the European Union. The BBC is funded by a £159 annual license fee that every British household with a television must pay. But that model is due to remain in place only until 2027, when it could be revised. Several Conservative lawmakers have called for the license fee to be axed, arguing it is an unfair tax and that people shouldn’t be forced to pay for the BBC.
The 62-year-old Mr. Lineker, who is paid around £1.3 million or roughly $1.6 million a year to present sports shows on the channel, has long tweeted his views on politics and has on several occasions criticized the ruling Conservative government. He has argued he wasn’t contractually obliged to tone down his tweeting, saying that he doesn’t cover news, his Twitter account is his own and that he is a freelancer for the company, not a full employee. In 2021 he was asked about BBC’s social media guidelines and said “they only apply to people in news and current affairs.”
The BBC has further come under scrutiny recently after revelations that its chairman Richard Sharp donated heavily to the Conservative party campaign, and was close friends with former leader Boris Johnson. Mr. Sharp has said he helped facilitate a loan to Mr. Johnson while he was prime minister. This took place while Mr. Sharp was applying to lead the BBC’s board, a role he eventually secured. His appointment is now under review by the Commissioner for Public Appointments.
Mr. Sharp, a former banker at Goldman Sachs Group Inc., told the BBC that he was confident he was appointed on merit. A BBC spokesman declined to comment further. Mr. Johnson has denied that Mr. Sharp knows anything about his finances. As BBC chairman, Mr. Sharp is in charge of upholding and protecting the BBC’s independence but doesn’t have a direct say in programming decisions.
The opposition Labour Party said the broadcaster had caved to government pressure. “It is not impartial for BBC to cave in to Tory MPs complaining about Gary Lineker, it’s the opposite of impartial,” said Keir Starmer, Labour’s leader.
Either way, analysts say the BBC and Britain are now firmly caught up in the same kind of culture wars that dominate the U.S. A poll on Saturday by You Gov found that 63% of Labour voters thought it was OK for sports presenters on the BBC to tweet their opinions. But only 33% of Conservative voters felt the same way.
Mr. Lineker attended a Leicester City game on Saturday, where fans held up signs supporting him. Mr. Lineker used to play for the team and once presented Match of the Day in his underpants after losing a bet that Leicester wouldn’t win the Premier League.
A BBC story on the scandal on Saturday by its media editor Katie Razzall illustrated the complexity of the impartiality issue for the broadcaster, which does everything from news to dramas and comedy shows.
“Are we really saying, argue the critics, that somebody who isn’t a news journalist but appears on the BBC in another capacity, can’t tweet their views about politics in a personal capacity? Where will it end, they ask? Can a game show host not have an opinion on a government policy? Or an actor who’s closely linked to a high profile BBC drama? A comedian?” the story said.
During his playing career, Mr. Lineker scored 48 goals for England, ranking as its fourth leading scorer, and played for several teams including Tottenham and Barcelona. His six goals in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico made him the tournament’s top scorer.
Jonathan Pearce, a senior commentator for “Match of the Day,” said: “It is terribly sad it has come to this. It’s a situation that raises questions about the future for many of us…I was brought up in a democracy and everyone has a right to the freedom of speech.”
Others however did turn up to work. “Personally, today I found it very difficult,” said Ian Dennis, a BBC soccer commentator, as he presented on Saturday. “But I’m a BBC staff member, I’m a radio commentator for BBC 5 Live—and today, like every Saturday afternoon, we provide a service to you, the audience.”
Write to Max Colchester at Max.Colchester@wsj.com and David Luhnow at david.luhnow@wsj.com