Gary Lineker will be "spoken to" after UK asylum plan comments, says BBC
The Match of the Day host said that the language used by Home Secretary Suella Braverman was "not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the '30s".
The BBC has said that Gary Lineker will be "spoken to" about his responsibilities, after the Match of the Day presenter made comments condemning the UK's recently announced plans for asylum seekers.
In a since-deleted tweet, the former England international footballer said that the language used by Home Secretary Suella Braverman in outlining plans to detain and remove migrants illegally entering the UK on small boats was "not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the '30s".
Lineker had initially shared a video from the official Home Office Twitter account that showed Braverman detailing the new Illegal Migration Ball, adding the caption: "Good heavens, this is beyond awful."
The BBC, which has strict impartiality guidelines, has since said that it would be having a "frank conversation" with Lineker.
Braverman herself addressed Lineker's comments during an appearance on Good Morning Britain this morning (Wednesday 8th March), explaining that she was "very disappointed" by his remarks.
"Equating our measures – which are lawful, necessary and fundamentally compassionate – to 1930s Germany is irresponsible and I disagree with that characterisation," she said.
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Lineker took to Twitter again this morning to say that he has "never known such love and support in my life than I’m getting this morning (England World Cup goals aside, possibly)".
He added: "I want to thank each and every one of you. It means a lot. I’ll continue to try and speak up for those poor souls that have no voice."
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Authors
Patrick Cremona is the Senior Film Writer at Radio Times, and looks after all the latest film releases both in cinemas and on streaming. He has been with the website since October 2019, and in that time has interviewed a host of big name stars and reviewed a diverse range of movies.
