Gary Lineker tweet a technical breach, ex-BBC head says

An ex-BBC boss has said Gary Lineker's criticism of the government's new asylum bill appeared to be a "technical breach" of impartiality rules.

But Mark Thompson told the Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme that Lineker's status as a sports presenter meant the row was a "grey area".

He said the BBC must "strike the balance" when enforcing the rules.

The BBC's football output remains in chaos, with an unofficial staff boycott continuing into Sunday.

It follows an unprecedented day of turmoil for the BBC's sport operation, with staff including some of the most recognisable faces and voices downing tools.

BBC News understands that BBC2's planned coverage of the Women's Super League clash between Chelsea and Manchester United will go ahead without pre-match presentation.

Match of the Day 2 will follow the main programme's much-reduced format. On Saturday, Match of the Day was reduced to 20 minutes without presenters, pundits, or commentary.

Viewing figures were up by almost half a million to 2.58m.

Lineker's suspension over his criticism of the government's asylum policy has triggered a wider debate about BBC impartiality, the government's asylum policy and the position of the broadcaster's chairman Richard Sharp.

Mr Thompson - who served as BBC director general between 2004 and 2012 - said enforcing impartiality rules for non-news staff was complex, noting that "the BBC has walked into is the 21st Century".

The ex-New York Times CEO likened the BBC's predicament to debates raging in the US around balancing freedom of speech and impartiality.

"New behaviours, new public attitudes, new understandable attitudes from individuals - for example a freelancer like Gary Lineker - therefore there is a need to think carefully about where to strike the balance," he added.

And he urged the BBC "to calm down, ignore the papers", to chart a course forward, and to avoid "shooting from the hip" in a bid to resolve the row.

Director general Tim Davie told BBC News yesterday he was in "listening mode" about how to reform impartiality rules for staff outside of the news operation after a "difficult day" for the broadcaster.

He apologised to licence fee payers for the disruption and left the door open for Lineker to return, describing him as the "best sports broadcaster in the world, adding "success for me is Gary gets back on air".

While appearing on the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme, ex-director general Mark Thompson read out the BBC's impartiality guideline on "high profile" names. That guideline states:

"There are also others who are not journalists or involved in factual programming who nevertheless have an additional responsibility to the BBC because of their profile on the BBC.

"We expect these individuals to avoid taking sides on party political issues or political controversies and to take care when addressing public policy matters."

Peter Salmon, who was the corporation's head of sport under Mr Thompson, said the BBC's impartiality guidelines were "opaque" and urged bosses to "get this sorted out".

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt - who earlier said he "profoundly" disagreed with Lineker's tweet - told the programme that he thought "making sure the BBC maintains its reputation for independence and impartiality is the outcome that matters most".

But he declined to say whether he thought Lineker should remain as Match of the Day presenter.

On Saturday Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said resolving the row was a matter for the BBC, but Downing Street and several senior ministers have been sharply critical of the 62-year-old presenter in recent days.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman and Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer have both attacked the presenter this week for his comparison between the government's language and Nazi Germany.

Speaking to the BBC this morning, former cabinet minister Simon Clarke joined the criticism, saying: "Mr Lineker has a huge reach and the reality is that he is obviously operating on a publicly-funded broadcaster, he is someone whose platform largely derives from his role at the BBC, he's saying things which are partisan and I think which are also deeply unfair."

Labour's Shadow Chancellor Rachael Reeves said the BBC had "clearly come under immense pressure from the Conservative Party to take Gary Lineker off air".

She contrasted Lineker's suspension with the BBC chairman being able to continue in his job while the circumstances of his appointment are investigated, adding "I don't remember those same Tory MPs crying about impartiality when those revelations about Richard sharp came out".

An ongoing KC-led review into Richard Sharp's appointment as BBC chairman is investigating whether he failed to properly disclose details of his involvement in the facilitation of an £800,000 loan guarantee for the then Prime Minister Boris Johnson. He has denied any involvement in the arrangement of a loan for Mr Johnson.

The BBC is also conducting its own internal review over any potential conflicts of interest Mr Sharp may have in his current role as BBC chairman.

Meanwhile, uncertainty continues to swirl as to whether Lineker will return to the BBC.

In the Sunday Mirror, Lineker's son, George, is quoted as saying he thought his father would return to presenting Match of the Day, and director general Tim Davie said on Saturday his goal was to get "Gary back on air".

The row erupted after Lineker was suspended for criticising the government's language over its controversial new asylum policy.

Commenting on the Illegal Migration Bill on Tuesday, 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".