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Section 4 of the BBC Editorial Guidelines, on the importance of impartiality, leaves little to the imagination.
“The BBC is committed to achieving due impartiality in all its output,” it reads, adding that the principle is “fundamental to our reputation, our values and the trust of audiences.”
However, it appears the news has yet to reach Gary Lineker, whose comments comparing Suella Braverman’s crackdown on Channel migrants to Nazi Germany is just the latest in a long line of divisive political interventions.
The football pundit, who is currently embroiled in a £4.9million tax battle with HMRC, regularly lectures his 8.7million Twitter followers on everything from Brexit and the Conservatives to the Just Stop protests Oil and the fate of Shamima Begum.
Lineker has frequently been criticized for his flagrant breach of impartiality rules, including by senior BBC officials such as cricket commentator Jonathan Agnew.
He has also faced accusations of hypocrisy, even after news emerged that he pocketed £1.6 million working for Qatar’s state broadcaster a decade before becoming one of the fiercest critics of Fifa’s decision. to allow it to host the World Cup.
Below, MailOnline examines his other political interventions and controversies in recent years.
Gary Lineker’s comments comparing Suella Braverman’s crackdown on Channel migrants to Nazi Germany are just the latest in a long line of divisive political interventions.
7 of March
The Match of the Day presenter, 62, shared a video online of Ms Braverman announcing details of her new illegal immigration bill with the comment: “OMG, this is beyond horrible.”
He then used his Twitter account, with 8.6 million followers, to describe the measures to confront the migration crisis as “immeasurably cruel.”
When another user accused him of being “out of line”, the former England footballer, who had previously been reprimanded for other anti-Tory comments, replied: “There’s not a big turnout.” We accept far fewer refugees than other major European countries.
“This is simply an immensely cruel policy aimed at the most vulnerable people in language no different than that used by Germany in the 1930s, and am I off base?”
February 28
Lineker is an outspoken Remain supporter and has regularly expressed his views on Brexit.
Commenting on a speech by Rishi Sunak on Northern Ireland’s access to the single market, he wrote: ‘This is sensational. Not a hint of irony. Pretty bright.
February 27
The day before he had written “so let’s get Brexit done, again” along with a fist emoji.
23 of February
Environment Secretary Therese Coffey raised eyebrows when she urged Britons struggling to buy tomatoes to “appreciate the humble turnip”.
Lineker compared his comments to those of former Prime Minister Liz Truss, famous for being compared to a lettuce.
February 22
Last month, Shamima Begum lost a challenge against the decision to revoke her British citizenship, with judges ruling that the Home Secretary had acted lawfully to protect national security.
Lineker was unhappy and tweeted that Begum, who fled London aged 15, had been “groomed”.
He wrote: ‘She was a girl. Manipulated and fixed. This feels very bad.”
February 20th
Lineker shared a tweet calling for legal status to be granted to migrants who had crossed the English Channel.
The tweet he shared read: ‘So why can’t we leave them?’ Why leave them to rot in a hotel while the far right shouts insults at them? Give them legal status and get them going.’
February 15
Formula 1’s decision to ban drivers from making political statements drew the ire of Lewis Hamilton, prompting Lineker to express his support for the British driver.
He wrote: ‘Well played Lewis Hamilton. It’s no use having a huge platform if you don’t use it forever. Freedom of expression and everything…’
Earlier that day he had joked about “the delights of Brexit” while waiting in line at the airport.
February 7th
Outspoken MP Lee Anderson was promoted to Conservative Party chairman and commented Lineker sarcastically commented “a fantastic appointment” alongside laughing emojis.
That same day he also retweeted a post calling for a windfall tax on fossil fuel companies, asking “how they (the Government) get away with this greed.”
One follower commented ‘because people keep voting for them’, to which he responded, ‘okay’.
26 of January
Lineker shared a list of Conservative MPs who rejected a wastewater amendment, a move that attracted the ire of anti-pollution campaigners.
‘Why the hell would you do this?’ she asked.
January 21st
Lineker called trophy hunting “disgusting” and shared a petition to ban it.
January 14
The former footballer retweeted a post in which he called Mrs Braverman “completely insensitive” following an exchange between the Home Secretary and a Holocaust survivor.
12th of January
Culture Secretary Michelle Donelan said the BBC should be “aware” of recent comments made by Lineker.
Ms Donelan spoke on The News Agents podcast about comments Lineker had made on the same show about the World Cup in Qatar and racism in the United States.
“There is a problem of impartiality and the BBC would say that they themselves have recognized this,” he said.
Brexit has been one of Lineker’s favorite topics of discussion. In the photo, Brexit supporters in 2016=
December 2023
Lineker risked another dispute over impartiality by calling the United States an “extraordinarily racist country.”
The former England striker turned TV presenter lashed out at Americans as he defended his criticism of World Cup host Qatar, whose regime persecutes political activists, women and LGBT minorities.
Doha responded to what they said was the Corporation’s “very racist” coverage of the tournament.
But Lineker showed that he was willing to do the same with the World Cup by calling the United States a racist country.
November
Lineker led BBC One’s coverage of the World Cup in Qatar, despite his repeated criticism of the country for its deeply conservative stance on issues such as gay rights.
Lineker led BBC One’s coverage of the World Cup in Qatar, despite his repeated criticism of the country for its deeply conservative stance on issues such as gay rights.
Accusations of hypocrisy became even stronger after it emerged he had previously pocketed £1.6 million while working for the Gulf state’s sports broadcaster.
The broadcaster received £400,000 a year for four years, from 2009 to 2013, from Al Jazeera, which is owned by the State of Qatar.
Lineker’s contracts to head up Champions League coverage for the channel – seen by The Daily Mail – included ‘minimum five-star hotels’ and first-class flights if required.
He is said to have insisted on a week’s holiday every February so he could make his traditional trip to Barbados.
Lineker’s last deal with the Doha-based broadcaster was signed in August 2012, 20 months after the controversial decision to hand Qatar the World Cup.
He declined to comment.
October
Lineker breached the BBC’s impartiality rules with a social media post criticizing the Conservatives, the broadcaster’s complaints team has ruled.
The broadcaster used Twitter to quote an article about Liz Truss – then foreign secretary – urging Premier League teams to boycott the Champions League final in Russia.
In his post, the former England striker added: “And will your party return donations from Russian donors?”
That same month, Lineker also led a backlash against Foreign Secretary James Cleverly after he told gay football fans to be “respectful” to World Cup host Qatar.
He posted on Twitter: ‘Whatever you do, don’t do anything gay. Is that the message?
September
New BBC director-general Tim Davie was forced to address the continuing controversy over Lineker’s political tweets, saying the former England footballer’s approach to impartiality was a “work in progress”.
However, he told MPs that the broadcaster’s behavior on social media had seen a “huge improvement”.
August
Lineker sparked a row with a BBC journalist this year with a tweet about sewage.
He wrote on Twitter: ‘As a politician, how could you, under any circumstances, bring yourself to vote in favor of pumping wastewater into our seas? Fathomless!’
The post prompted veteran BBC journalist Neil Henderson, national and international news editor, to ask the presenter, who earns £1.35m a year, whether his contract allowed him to breach the corporation’s impartiality rules.
The journalist wrote to him: ‘The BBC lives or dies by its impartiality. If you can’t stand it, leave it.
Henderson, following talks with BBC bosses, later apologised.
July
Lineker found himself at odds with former racing driver turned Sky commentator Martin Brundle over his response to a Just Stop Oil protest.
Protesters broke into the British Grand Prix, angering Brundle who said they could have been killed.
Lineker tweeted: “History will look very favorably on these people.”
But Brundle replied: ‘Gary, please do not encourage this reckless behaviour. They would have been cut into 100 pieces and fans, marshals and drivers were at complete risk of injury or death. “I fully support freedom of expression and opinion, but I do it responsibly.”
October
Lineker said he had spoken to BBC director general Tim Davie “quite a few times in recent weeks” and that Davie was “perfectly happy” with his behavior on social media.
His comments came after the BBC announced new guidelines and training to “ensure the highest possible standards of impartiality” among the broadcaster’s staff.
February 2018
Lineker was questioned over his comments on Brexit by BBC cricket commentator Jonathan Agnew.
Lineker has been vocal about his opposition to Brexit, including on Twitter and attending a rally in 2018 calling for a second referendum.
Agnew, responding to one of Lineker’s posts, tweeted: ‘Gary. You are the face of BBC Sport. Please follow the BBC’s editorial guidelines and keep your political opinions, whatever they may be and whatever the topic, to yourself. I’d be fired if I followed your example. Thank you.’