Rishi Sunak has broken his silence and waded into the Gary Lineker row, saying it’s up to the BBC to resolve.
The Prime Minister’s response comes as the row over the England legend turned broadcaster’s ouster from Match of the Day continued to overshadow the Government’s controversial refugee crackdown.
"Gary Lineker was a great footballer and is a talented presenter,” Mr Sunak said.
“I hope that the current situation between Gary Lineker and the BBC can be resolved in a timely manner, but it is rightly a matter for them, not the government.”
Earlier today, Keir Starmer accused the BBC of not acting with impartiality over the row, and “caving” to “whingeing Tory MPs.”
The Labour leader said the England legend's suspension from Match of the Day was a result of the Government refusing to take responsibility for the mess they'd made of the asylum system.
And he said the broadcaster had got their response "badly wrong."
"The BBC is not acting impartially by caving in to tory MPs complaining about Gary Lineker," Mr Starmer said, speaking at Welsh Labour Conference in Llandudno.
"They've got this one badly wrong and now they're very, very exposed. "
He added: "At the heart of this, it's very important to see what's going on. Because the Government has failed on the asylum system, but instead of taking responsibility they're blaming anybody else, Gary Lineker, the BBC, the Civil Service, the 'blob' - you name it.
"They'll blame everybody else apart from themselves. They should stand up and take responsibility, stop whingeing about Gary Lineker and get on with the job."
The Mirror has launched a petition calling on the BBC to back down and reinstate Mr Lineker.
Football Focus and Final Score have been pulled from the BBC schedules at the last moment, throwing the corporation's sporting timetable into disarray.
Bargain Hunt aired in place of Football Focus on BBC One at noon on Saturday, while The Repair Shop is due to run instead of Final Score at 4.30pm, as the corporation faces a backlash after Gary Lineker was taken off Match Of The Day (MOTD).
Ahead of the antiques show starting, a continuity announcer said: "Saturday lunchtime on BBC One, now, in a change to the schedule, it's Bargain Hunt."
BBC Radio 5 Live has also been affected, with host Mark Chapman not at the helm for 5 Live Sport and Fighting Talk.
BBC presenter Colin Murray said in a tweet, of 5 Live's Fighting Talk not airing: "No FightingTalk316 today, for obvious reasons.
"In the interest of transparency, this was a decision taken by the entire FT team and myself."
The Kammy & Ben's Proper Football Podcast aired during Fighting Talk's slot followed by The Footballer's Football Podcast which played on Radio 5 Live when 5 Live Sport would have aired.
Mr Sunak said: “As Prime Minister, I have to do what I believe is right, respecting that not everyone will always agree. That is why I have been unequivocal in my approach to stopping the boats.”
He said while the process of resolving the row was ongoing, it was “important that we maintain perspective, particularly given the seriousness of the issue at hand.”
The PM added: “Forty-five thousand people crossed the channel illegally last year, many of whom have been exploited or trafficked by criminal gangs, putting their lives in danger.
“We need to break this cycle of misery once and for all and the policy we set out this week I believe aims to do just that. It is not only the fair and moral thing to do, it is also the compassionate thing to do.
“There are no easy answers to solving this problem, but I believe leadership is about taking the tough decisions to fix problems. I know not everyone will always agree, but I do believe this is fair and right.”
