Get 40% Off
🤯 This Tech Portfolio is up 29% YTD! Join Now to Get April’s Top PicksGet The Picks – Just 99 USD

Mutiny at the BBC: Lineker row causes growing crisis at UK broadcaster

Published 03/11/2023, 11:38 AM
Updated 03/11/2023, 06:01 PM
© Reuters. Soccer Football - Premier League - Leicester City v Chelsea - King Power Stadium, Leicester, Britain - March 11, 2023 Former player and BBC presenter Gary Lineker is pictured arriving at the stadium before the match REUTERS/Toby Melville

© Reuters. Soccer Football - Premier League - Leicester City v Chelsea - King Power Stadium, Leicester, Britain - March 11, 2023 Former player and BBC presenter Gary Lineker is pictured arriving at the stadium before the match REUTERS/Toby Melville

By Sarah Young

LONDON (Reuters) -Britain's BBC faced a mounting crisis as a row over football presenter Gary Lineker's criticism of government migration policy led to a presenter mutiny, drew a comment from the prime minister and left the broadcaster's boss defending his position.

The BBC was forced to axe much of its sports coverage on Saturday as presenters refused to work in a show of solidarity with Lineker, after the BBC sought to defend its impartiality by taking him off the air due to his comments on social media.

Lineker, a former England soccer captain, the BBC's highest-paid presenter and the anchor of the football highlights programme "Match of the Day", was suspended from his role following his criticism of Britain's migration policy.

Critics of Lineker's suspension say the BBC bowed to government pressure, leading to a furious debate about the impartiality of the national broadcaster.

BBC Director General Tim Davie told the BBC on Saturday he had no intention of resigning over the matter. "We in the BBC, and myself, are absolutely driven by a passion for impartiality, not left, right or pandering to a particular party," he said.

Davie said he wanted Lineker back on the air and hoped to find a balance which enabled some presenters to express opinions while at the same time maintaining the BBC's neutrality.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak issued a statement on Saturday defending the migration policy, which bars the entry of asylum seekers arriving in small boats across the English Channel, saying he hoped Lineker and the BBC could resolve their differences in a timely manner.

"It is rightly a matter for them, not the government," Sunak said.

The Lineker row severely disrupted the BBC's sports programming on Saturday as multiple presenters walked out, prompting it to issue an apology.

Saturday's edition of "Match of the Day", presented by Lineker for more than 20 years, aired at the usual time despite his absence, but was slashed to just 20 minutes and aired as a show of highlights without commentary.

NEUTRALITY UNDER SCRUTINY

The BBC is committed to being politically impartial, but has faced criticism from the Conservative and Labour parties about how neutral it actually is, particularly in the era of social media when high-profile presenters can easily make their personal positions known.

The opposition Labour Party and media commentators accuse the BBC of silencing Lineker, after Sunak's spokeswoman called Lineker's comments "unacceptable" and interior minister Suella Braverman said they were "offensive".

"The BBC is not acting impartially by caving in to Tory MPs who are complaining about Gary Lineker," Labour leader Keir Starmer told reporters at a conference in Wales on Saturday.

Lineker declined to comment to media as he left his London home on Saturday and did not reply to questions from reporters on arrival at the King Power Stadium in Leicester where he went to watch one of his former clubs play.

The furore followed Sunak's announcement of the new law earlier in the week. Lineker, 62, took to Twitter to describe the legislation as a "cruel policy directed at the most vulnerable people in language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s."

Seeking to resolve the dispute, the BBC said there needed to be an agreed position on Lineker's use of social media before he can return to presenting. But critics of Lineker's suspension say he is entitled to his personal opinions because he is not a news presenter.

Greg Dyke, who was director-general of the BBC between 2000 and 2004, told BBC radio earlier on Saturday that the BBC had made a mistake.

"The perception out there is going to be that Gary Lineker, a much-loved television presenter, was taken off air after government pressure on a particular issue," Dyke said.

That could turn viewers away from the 100-year-old BBC, which is funded by a 159 pound ($192) annual "licence fee" tax on all television-watching households.

While the broadcaster remains a central presence in British cultural life, it is battling to stay relevant with younger audiences and faces threats to its funding as some Conservative lawmakers want to scrap the licence fee.

© Reuters. Former player and TV presenter Gary Lineker is pictured in the stand with his son. Leicester City v Chelsea, March 11, 2023. REUTERS/Toby Melville

Questions about BBC Chair Richard Sharp (OTC:SHCAY) pose a further challenge for the broadcaster.

Sharp is under pressure for failing to declare his involvement in facilitating a loan for former Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson shortly before he was appointed to the role. Sharp's appointment, made on the recommendation of the government, is being reviewed by Britain's public appointments watchdog.

Latest comments

Wonder how many refugees Linekar has staying with him in his 16 bed mansion or in his street ? hmmmmmm..... Do gooders who all talk and nothing else... ! needs to stick to missing penalties an stay in his lane ! BBC 100% right to stay impartial.. and not end up like FOX USA..
How is the BBC still in existence? Can't it be put out of its misery already?
Risk Disclosure: Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.
© 2007-2024 - Fusion Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.