Any hopes in No. 10 that Rishi Sunak’s French charm offensive with Emmanuel Macron would dominate the weekend papers were dashed when the BBC announced on Friday that Gary Lineker had been asked to ‘step back’ from presenting Match of the Day. This decision came after a tweet by Lineker where he compared the language used by the government with regards to its new Illegal Migration Bill – to stop those who arrive illegally claiming asylum – to the language ‘used by Germany in the 30s’. The BBC initially suggested there would be no disciplinary action but changed tack following further comments from the presenter on the issue.
Since that announcement, the BBC has faced a series of setbacks over its sports coverage. Lineker’s Match of the Day colleagues refused to appear on the show, leading the BBC to scrap the usual commentary. Other football shows have also been cancelled as more BBC sports journalists have refused to play ball. Labour’s Keir Starmer has been trying to get in on the action – and has criticised the BBC’s decision. A Labour source also described the move to take Lineker off air as a ‘cowardly decision’ taken ‘in the face of political pressure’.
This evening – in a bid to distance the government from the issue – Rishi Sunak has released his own statement praising Lineker as a presenter and saying he hopes the dispute can be ‘resolved in a timely manner’. He adds that it is ‘rightly a matter for them, not the government’:
‘As Prime Minister, I have to do what I believe is right, respecting that not everyone will always agree. That is why I have been unequivocal in my approach to stopping the boats.
Gary Lineker was a great footballer and is a talented presenter. I hope that the current situation between Gary Lineker and the BBC can be resolved in a timely manner, but it is rightly a matter for them, not the government.
While that process is ongoing, it is important that we maintain perspective, particularly given the seriousness of the issue at hand. Forty-five thousand people crossed the channel illegally last year, many of whom have been exploited or trafficked by criminal gangs, putting their lives in danger.
We need to break this cycle of misery once and for all and the policy we set out this week I believe aims to do just that. It is not only the fair and moral thing to do, it is also the compassionate thing to do.
There are no easy answers to solving this problem, but I believe leadership is about taking the tough decisions to fix problems. I know not everyone will always agree, but I do believe this is fair and right.’
So, what is Sunak trying to achieve here? He is clearly keen to distance the BBC’s decision from the idea that it came as a result of government pressure. While Tory MPs have complained about Lineker’s comments and ministers have been critical of the Nazi Germany comparison, No. 10 did not go so far as to suggest Lineker ought to go. Sunak’s statement distances himself from the demands of some of his backbenchers – with 36 Tory MPs and peers writing to Tim Davie to demand a full apology from Lineker.
As the row gathers steam, ministers want to stop it becoming a ‘Tories vs Lineker’ row that Labour can try to exploit. There’s a reason for that. With plenty of questions remaining over the involvement over BBC chairman Richard Sharp in arranging a loan for the then prime minister Boris Johnson, a row involving the government and the BBC has the potential to be uncomfortable for both sides.
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