DAILY MAIL COMMENT: BBC must stand firm against Lineker’s Nazi taunts

Poor Gary Lineker. He sends out a little tweet equating the government’s asylum policy with Nazism and the right-wing establishment is pouring on him like a ton of fascist bricks.

Such is the narrative that the left is selling about the Lineker case. The Match of the Day host is a martyr to free speech, they claim, victimized simply for speaking his mind.

This version of events conveniently ignores the fact that the BBC has a legal and moral obligation to be politically impartial. And for good reason.

Everyone who owns a television in this country is required to pay their bills, regardless of their political views. The least you can expect for your generosity is respect. However, Lineker is suggesting that if they support attempts to curb illegal migration, they are in cahoots with the far right.

The accusation of being ‘far right’ is increasingly directed at anyone with remotely conservative views on asylum issues, through net-zero policies for trans rights. Outrageously, London’s Labor mayor Sadiq Khan even used it on protesters against his hated ultra-low-emission zone plan, designed to fleece motorists across the capital.

The BBC has a legal and moral obligation to be politically impartial, and for good reason.

Lineker’s tweet plays into this same sinister trend of opinion shaming. Either you are a compassionate liberal who opposes stricter immigration controls, or you must be a fascist. It is a monstrously false dichotomy.

Millions believe that the cracks in the immigration system are placing unsustainable pressures on public services and some communities. Why should they be vilified for wanting those cracks filled, especially when the vilifier is a super-rich celebrity whose salaries they are paying?

Other sportscasters who have withdrawn their services in support of Lineker are doing themselves a disservice. They just see themselves as a wealthy, empowered cabal holding the BBC and its audience at ransom.

So CEO Tim Davie is right to criticize Lineker for his offensive and inappropriate language. He is encouraged that BBC sources are hopeful that a solution is in sight, but it cannot be capitulation.

The BBC’s reputation for impartiality has been tarnished in recent years by a steady shift to the liberal left. Bowing to Lineker and his fellow virtue-signs would suggest that the Corporation has given up trying to restore the balance.

True diversity is more than skin color and sexual orientation. It also means representing the political views of workers outside of the metropolitan bubble.

The Mail has no problem with Lineker using Twitter as a platform for his overtly political broadcasts, however simplistic and bland. Similarly, we have no problem with him being a famous BBC sports presenter. However, if the BBC is to have any credibility as an impartial public service broadcaster, it should not be allowed to do both.

The victory of the Mail bump

In a big win for the Mail, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt will announce a new £200m fund to fix budget gaps on Wednesday.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt to announce a new £200m fund to fix budget gaps on Wednesday

In praising our End Pothole Plague campaign, he recognized the misery caused by the dire state of our roads and the dire effect on connectivity and growth. This cash injection is not enough to completely solve the problem, but it will certainly help.

We therefore welcome the Chancellor’s timely intervention and hope that he will now turn his attention to another crucial issue highlighted in today’s document.

Business leaders and industry captains from AstraZeneca to Rolls-Royce are urging you in our pages to reconsider the six percentage point increase in corporate tax. It will stifle growth, reduce investment and threaten jobs at the wrong time. If he wants British business to fly, Hunt must heed his advice and think again.