Gary Lineker said he stands by his criticism of the government's asylum policy and does not fear suspension from the BBC.
The Match Of The Day presenter's comments has been branded "disappointing and inappropriate" by the culture secretary, who also called for the BBC to maintain impartiality if it wants to "retain the trust of the public who pay the licence fee". Lineker, 62, compared the language used in the launch of the policy to that of 1930s Germany.
When asked by reporters if he feared suspension over his tweets, he said "no". One other reporter asked if he had spoken to the BBC to which he replied: "I'm always talking to the BBC." Asked if he had spoken to the director-general, he said, after a pause, “yeah” before adding “he said… well we chat often”.
Culture secretary Lucy Frazer said it was important for the BBC to maintain impartiality. She said: "As somebody whose grandmother escaped Nazi Germany in the 1930s, I think it’s really disappointing and inappropriate to compare government policy on immigration to events in Germany in the 1930s.”
Ms Frazer added that she was “pleased” the BBC was speaking to Lineker “to remind him of his responsibilities in relation to social media”.
On Tuesday, Lineker wrote on Twitter about a Home Office video in which Suella Braverman unveiled the Government’s plans to stop migrants crossing the Channel on small boats and said the UK is being “overwhelmed”.
The ex-England striker wrote: “There is no huge influx. We take far fewer refugees than other major European countries.
“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.”
He later responded to the criticism on Twitter, writing that he had never known such “love and support” and promised to “continue to try and speak up for those poor souls that have no voice”.
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