As per report, Gary Lineker is defying demands that he retract his comparison of the government’s new immigration policy to Nazi Germany.
The 62-year-old Match Of The Day host criticized the Home Office’s recently unveiled, divisive proposals to prevent migrant boats transporting illegal immigrants from entering the UK.
This is beyond bad, he wrote. Good gods.
“There is no significant influx.
We accept significantly fewer refugees than most other major European nations.
‘This is just an immeasurably cruel policy directed at the most vulnerable people in language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s, and I’m out of order?’
Following the remarks, it was reported that the BBC would speak to the pundit and ‘remind him of his responsibilities on social media.’
Home Sec blasts Gary Lineker for comparing her migrant law to Nazi Germany
However, the former footballer has been resisting the Line of Duty broadcaster’s approaches and has not yet had a conversation with the corporation’s bosses, according to The i.
The publication also reports that Lineker is not backing down and will not remove the tweet.
The BBC previously said: ‘The BBC has social media guidance, which is published. Individuals who work for us are aware of their responsibilities relating to social media.
‘We have appropriate internal processes in place if required.’
Lineker’s remarks, which were in response to a Twitter video put out by Home Secretary Suella Braverman, have been slammed by Tory politicians.
Conservative party deputy chairman Lee Anderson, who previously famously claimed people could cook ‘nutritious 30p meals’, wrote: ‘This is just another example of how out of touch these overpaid stars are with the voting public.
‘Instead of lecturing, Mr Lineker should stick to reading out the football scores and flogging crisps.’
Lineker was previously found to have broken the corporation’s impartiality rules last year with a tweet about Liz Truss and the Conservative Party.
He shared a tweet with his followers in February 2022 after the then-Foreign Secretary Liz Truss urged people to boycott the Champions League final in Russia.
Lineker had asked his followers at the time: ‘And her party will hand back their donations from Russian donors?’
His tweet was investigated by the BBC’s Executive Complaints Unit (ECU) which upheld a complaint and said the post ‘did not meet the BBC’s editorial standards on impartiality’.
It added that while Lineker, who is freelance, is not required to uphold the same high standards of impartiality as the broadcaster’s journalists, he does have an ‘additional responsibility’ as he is considered ‘one of the BBC’s highest profile stars’.