Newspaper headlines: BBC faces 'revolt' over Lineker as stars walk out
- Published
Most of Saturday's front pages report on Gary Lineker being told to step back from presenting duties by the BBC over his criticism of language used in the government's new asylum policy. The i reports on Lineker's Match of the Day co-stars deciding to walk-out of Saturday's show in "solidarity".
"Revolt for Lineker" is the Daily Mirror's headline, as the paper reports on pundits Ian Wright and Alan Shearer's decision to pull out of Saturday's Match of the Day programme. A BBC spokesperson said the show will now "focus on match action without studio presentation or punditry". It follows a tweet earlier in the week where the Match of the Day host compared the language used to launch the government's migrant policy with 1930s Germany.
The Daily Telegraph says the BBC is "facing a backlash" after its decision to make Mr Lineker step down from the programme. The paper reports it "plunged the broadcaster into its latest crisis", as critics are asking why it "made an example of Lineker while Richard Sharp, the chairman, remains in his post despite revelations about his involvement in an £800,000 loan arrangement to Boris Johnson".
"Mutiny at BBC over Lineker red card" is how the Daily Mail sums up the story. The paper reports that Lineker was "dramatically" dropped from the sports programme "for his anti-Tory comments on social media". After the government outlined its plans to ban people arriving in the UK on small boats from claiming asylum, Mr Lineker called it an "immeasurably cruel policy directed at the most vulnerable people in language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s".
"Beeb's gone too VAR" is the Daily Star's headline, as the paper plays on words - alluding to the video assistant referee used to help referees make decisions during football games.
In its lead, the Guardian reiterates the coverage across most of Saturday's front pages, saying Lineker was suspended after the BBC "insisted his criticism of the government's asylum policies had breached its impartiality guidelines". It calls the broadcaster's decision an "unexpected escalation of a crisis that has been brewing all week".
"Mutiny of the Day" says the Times, as it reports on the BBC being "thrown into a crisis" as Lineker was ordered off air and fellow presenters pulled out in solidarity. The paper goes on to picture Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and French President Emmanuel Macron after a bilateral summit on Friday where the UK agreed to give France almost £500m over three years to help stop migrants crossing the Channel in small boats.
The Daily Express focuses on the Paris summit - reporting on Rishi Sunak's plans to fund an extra 500 officers and a new detention centre in France, although it will not be fully operational until the end of 2026. The paper notes the the prime minister called it a "big step forward" towards ending the Channel migrant crisis.
The Financial Times features a symbolic picture of Rishi Sunak and Emmanuel Macron, as the UK and France enter what the paper calls a "new chapter" in their hope to tackle illegal migration across the Channel.