This blog is now closed. You can read our latest story on the BBC row here:
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Afternoon summary
Here’s a summary of today’s events in the BBC / Gary Lineker / UK government row.
Gary Lineker is to return to the BBC after the corporation announced a review of its guidance on social media.
Lineker said on Twitter he was “delighted that we have navigated a way through this”.
The footballer added that “however difficult the last few days have been, it simply doesn’t compare to having to flee your home from persecution or war to seek refuge in a land far away”.
The BBC director general, Tim Davie, said “as the BBC we did the right thing, I did the right thing”.
Pressure mounted on the BBC chair and Conservative donor, Richard Sharp, to resign.
The leader of the opposition, Sir Keir Starmer, said Sharp’s position was increasingly untenable.
Downing Street declined to say whether the prime minister had confidence in Tim Davie, stressing that the choice of BBC director general was a matter for the corporation.
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My colleague, Pippa Crerar, has reported on the growing pressure to quit faced by BBC chair Richard Sharp. She writes:
The BBC chair, Richard Sharp, is under increasing pressure to quit after the corporation apologised over its handling of the impartiality row surrounding the Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker.
Keir Starmer called on the government to examine how it could protect a “truly independent and impartial” BBC.
He told ITV News: “I think Richard Sharp’s position is increasingly untenable. I think most people watching the complete mess of the last few days would say how on earth is he still in position and Gary Lineker has been taken off air? This is a mess of the BBC’s own making. They need to sort it out and sort it out fast.”
Downing Street declined to say whether Rishi Sunak had confidence in the BBC chair after the corporation announced that Lineker was to return to presenting sport after he was taken off air for criticising ministers’ language when discussing asylum policy.
Read the full article here:
My colleague Mark Sweney has written an article examining what sort of impact the BBC’s review of social media could have, if any. He writes:
The BBC’s announcement of an independent review of its social media guidelines was aimed at defusing the crisis over Gary Lineker’s tweets over government ministers’ language about its asylum policies and bring the presenter back into the fold, at least in the short term.
However, the practicalities of creating a set of rules to rein in star behaviour, while avoiding accusations of stifling free speech, are far from straightforward. Here are some key points for consideration.
Read the full article here:
Comedian and broadcaster Dara Ó Briain who appeared on the BBC’s Mock the Week for several years, has thrown his support behind Lineker.
Well done @garylineker at enduring this ridiculous, contrived “controversy”; and demonstrating that, as ever, people are perfectly capable of handling the idea that a grown-up can have a public job and also be separately, politically engaged in their own time. We’re not babies.
— Dara Ó Briain (@daraobriain) March 13, 2023
The satirist Armando Iannucci has said the row over impartiality at the BBC will continue until the corporation is kept separate from government.
The creator of The Thick Of It, who aired his comedy series about the inner workings of life in Westminster on the BBC, wrote on Twitter: “This week’s story will keep happening unless the BBC is truly independent of the government of the day.
“Appointments to its board, and of its director general, and determination of its funding, need to be visibly separate from Downing St. Or the public will lose trust in the BBC.”
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The broadcaster and former Labour spin doctor Alastair Campbell has thrown his support behind Lineker’s return to presenting.
It’s important to make clear that Campbell’s popular podcast, The Rest of Politics, is produced by Lineker’s company, Goalhanger Podcasts.
In an interview with BBC News being widely shared on social media, Campbell says the resolution is a “complete vindication” for Lineker.
Campbell says the saga is about much more than Lineker, with major questions for the BBC.
He says the BBC chair, Richard Sharp, is damaging the brand of the BBC and also calls for Sir Robbie Gibb to step down from the broadcaster’s board.
Campbell says it is a “good day for the BBC” because it has shown it can stand up to “righwing creeping authoritarianism”.
He said Tory MPs and ministers like Lee Anderson and Suella Braverman believe dividing the public is a “winning strategy” and the lesson to take from the Lineker row is that it “might not be”.
Richard Sharp is a Tory donor, has little broadcasting experience and arranged a loan for Boris Johnson when he was PM, and did not reveal this before he was appointed, so must step down as chair, Campbell says.
Lineker has “behaved impeccably”, Campbell says.
“He like everyone else has been shocked by the extent to which this has blown up,” he says.
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Gary Lineker’s son, George, has tweeted a goat emoji in support of his father’s return to presenting duties, which I am informed represents the phrase Greatest Of All Time…
— George Lineker (@GeorgeLineker) March 13, 2023
It’s been a turbulent weekend for BBC presenters – Fiona Bruce has just announced she will step back from her role as an ambassador for the domestic abuse charity Refuge following claims she had trivialised domestic violence during a discussion about Boris Johnson’s father, Stanley Johnson, on last Thursday’s BBC Question Time.
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No 10 refuses to say whether Sunak has confidence in Tim Davie
A Downing Street spokesperson declined to say whether the prime minister has confidence in Tim Davie following the Gary Lineker row, stressing that the choice of BBC director general was a matter for the corporation. They said:
The director general is appointed by the BBC and it’s a matter for them.
I’m simply pointing to the fact that he’s appointed by the BBC and it’s a matter for them.
Asked about the prime minister’s position on the licence fee, the spokesman said:
We remain committed to the licence fee for the rest of the current charter. But we’ve been clear that the BBC’s funding model faces major challenges due to changes in the way people consume media.
And it’s necessary to look at ways to ensure long-term sustainability.
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I’ll now hand over to Jamie Grierson, who’ll be with you for the next bit.
A little news on what created this controversy.
No10 continue to suggest that more safe and legal routes for asylum seekers will not be established until small boats are stopped — and obviously there’s no way of knowing yet when exactly that will be.
— Ione Wells (@ionewells) March 13, 2023
They decline to comment on whether this means there’s a de facto ban.
The PM’s deputy spokesman emphasises Sunak wants to stop small boats “first” and then there can be a conversation in parliament and a “national debate” about the number of people who can seek asylum through legal routes and the routes that need to be created to do so.
— Ione Wells (@ionewells) March 13, 2023
When asked if there is therefore a de facto ban on seeking asylum in the UK for those not eligible for one of the existing schemes (eg Afghan or Ukrainian ones) like, for example, an Iranian Christian facing persecution, the PM’s deputy spokesman declined to respond directly.
— Ione Wells (@ionewells) March 13, 2023
Writing on Twitter, my colleague Jonathan Shainin refers us to this piece by Nesrine Malik – written after the Euros – which is of sustaining but also renewed relevance given the events of the last week.
Might be worth looking back at this prescient column from the Euros in 2021 – when everyone was cheering a great victory for decency and good sense over another Tory football culture-war campaign pic.twitter.com/71xiVqB3vC
— Jonathan Shainin (@jonathanshainin) March 13, 2023
This is a helpful explainer on the Home Office’s border bill from Lewis Goodall of the News Agents.
This week the contents of the most draconian border bill in recent history became the second story. That might have suited some. Because when you drill into the detail, there’s no more guarantee of this bill working than the last. Watch 👇pic.twitter.com/hLKZLe7Tg9
— Lewis Goodall (@lewis_goodall) March 9, 2023
BBC News now note that the corporation has no way of removing Richard Sharp – its chair – as he was appointed by the government. They also suggest a difference between Lineker’s original tweet, comparing the language used by the Home Office to that used in 1930s Germany, and this one below, which is reckoned to be a humanitarian comment not a political one.
A final thought: however difficult the last few days have been, it simply doesn’t compare to having to flee your home from persecution or war to seek refuge in a land far away. It’s heartwarming to have seen the empathy towards their plight from so many of you. 3/4
— Gary Lineker 💙💛 (@GaryLineker) March 13, 2023
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More from Tim Davie, the BBC director general, who says the executive “help their teams deliver flawlessly work that is truly impartial”. The number of people who see the BBC’s work as fair and balanced “is in good order at the moment and more important around the world than it’s ever been”. He says the board is effective and works well together, but one of the people he doesn’t appoint is the chair, so it’ll be for others to tackle that question as the review comes through.
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Lucy Powell, MP for Manchester Central and shadow secretary of state for digital culture, media and sport, has shared her thoughts on the situation.
This is welcome and we will all be pleased to see Gary Lineker and football coverage back on the BBC this weekend.
— Lucy Powell MP (@LucyMPowell) March 13, 2023
But much bigger questions remain about the impartiality and independence of the BBC from Govt pressures. My statement 👇🏻 pic.twitter.com/PrpSIbaHQj
Sir Craig Oliver, David Cameron’s former director of communications and former controller of English news output for BBC Global News, has told BBC News that the corporation has capitulated. “Gary Linker 1-0 BBC Credibility,” he says, and a review is necessary not just of social media policy but of how situations such as this one are handled. It was slow to react yet again, he says, and when it did react, it “took the wrong choice” – resulting in a strike which created chaos – then reversed its decision. “A total mess,” he concludes.
The BBC’s error, he thinks, was taking until Friday to address an issue that arose on Tuesday, then coming up with a measure – taking Lineker off-air pending an agreement on what was acceptable in the future – that was unworkable. Tim Davie was in Washington last week, he notes, and says he knows it was difficult for him to manage a situation that might have defused itself while doing what he was there to do. But the reality is that he needed to drop everything, and the failure to do that caused the problem.
The BBC statement doesn’t, he says, make clear what Lineker can do while the review takes place, it’s not credible for the chair of the BBC to be appointed by the prime minister, but that isn’t linked to this story.
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This article, by Musa Okwonga – who has written a memoir about attending Eton as a young Black boy from an immigrant Ugandan family – offers a different perspective on the Lineker furore, discussing the unique cultural power footballers hold in British society.
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The former Tory MP Anna Soubry thinks the BBC gave into political pressure from the government.
"Tim Davie has questions he must answer".
— Sky News (@SkyNews) March 13, 2023
Former Tory MP Anna Soubry says it 'looks like the BBC did give in to political pressure from the government' but welcomes the inquiry so people are more aware of what the rules are.https://t.co/irAuc0kNPO
📺 Sky 501, Virgin 602 pic.twitter.com/gK7NZnjMmm
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More from Starmer:
'Richard Sharp's position is increasingly untenable'
— ITV News Politics (@ITVNewsPolitics) March 13, 2023
Labour leader Sir @Keir_Starmer questions 'how on earth' the BBC chairman can remain in position while @GaryLineker was taken off air https://t.co/C2LiI7nOcJ pic.twitter.com/LoC7Y32xSY
Full story here: https://t.co/pmYdFHcew2
— ITV News Politics (@ITVNewsPolitics) March 13, 2023
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Starmer says Richard Sharp’s position as BBC chair ‘increasingly untenable’
Keir Starmer has said Richard Sharp should resign as chair of the BBC. As reported by ITV, he said:
I think Richard Sharp’s position is increasingly untenable.
I think most people watching the complete mess of the last few days would say how on earth is he still in position and Gary Lineker has been taken off air?
This is a mess of the BBC’s own making, they need to sort it out and sort it out fast.
Starmer echoes what Lucy Powell, the shadow culture secretary, said yesterday. Powell also described Sharp’s position at “increasingly untenable”.
Even before the Gary Lineker row erupted, Sharp faced calls for his resignation because, when applying for the job of BBC chair, he did not disclose his role in helping Boris Johnson get access to a loan facility, reportedly worth around £800,000.
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Here’s Archie Bland’s piece from the weekend, giving a different perspective on the Lineker controversy.
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The BBC board has put out a statement saying it’s glad the executive has reached an agreement.
Impartiality is a cornerstone of the BBC, we believe this is the right time to look at the clarity of the BBC’s social media guidance and how it is applied. We will support the executive in its continuing work to ensure the organisation delivers world-class, impartial content, for all audiences.”
Mark Borkowski, a crisis and reputation manager, says he thinks this outcome is an elegant one given both sides have agreed it, but that Lineker might’ve been surprised at the fury he’s had to handle. The BBC’s problem, he explains, is the inconsistencies and also the divisive nature of its simple existence. He thinks it overreacted to Lineker’s tweet – “it’s not like he was broadcasting his opinion during Match of the Day” – and thinks we like to know where our presenters stand on various issues.
Significant figures need a social media presence, , he adds, identifying Terry Wogan and Ken Bruce as people who have been eased out of the BBC and then had to find other things to do – and profile is important for that. “The BBC has to fight hard to express the value of an extraordinary institution, capture talent at a reasonable rate, and at the same time project the values which are, to many, exemplary.”
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For all the political news today, follow my colleague Andrew Sparrow’s blog:
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Davie also thinks the audience numbers show the BBC is believed to be fair and balanced – around the world. He denies the accusation that he made a “catastrophic mistake”, saying instead that on Friday a choice to take action was decided upon, and since then a way forward has been found.
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Tim Davie also told the BBC that he thinks removing Lineker from this Saturday’s Match of the Day was the right thing to do in the moment, and they’ve now moved on. He wants to fight for a BBC where “we can have proper calm debate – facilitate free speech”. And when it’s put to him that a Conservative director general and a Conservative chair bowed to pressure from Conservative MPs and the Conservative press, he says that isn’t true. Thirty years ago, there was “some political involvement” but this is no longer the case. “That is not how we work, editorially, in the BBC. It’s a convenient narrative, it’s not true,” and the issue is getting involved in party political matters.
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Well done @garylineker at enduring this ridiculous, contrived “controversy”; and demonstrating that, as ever, people are perfectly capable of handling the idea that a grown-up can have a public job and also be separately, politically engaged in their own time. We’re not babies.
— Dara Ó Briain (@daraobriain) March 13, 2023
Russell Merryman, former high-up at the BBC, thinks Campbell made a good point about the difficulty in finding a policy that covers stars like Lineker but also works for freelance staff, and is unsure how tenable the position of Richard Sharp is, given his political connections and activities.
Also, I’d like to thank Tim Davie for his understanding during this difficult period. He has an almost impossible job keeping everybody happy, particularly in the area of impartiality. I am delighted that we’ll continue to fight the good fight, together.
— Gary Lineker 💙💛 (@GaryLineker) March 13, 2023
Oh, and he finishes by wondering what’s worse: “Gary Lineker doing the odd tweet or Boris Johnson, a corrupt, disgraced prime minister, trying to get Paul Dacre, [former editor] of the Daily Mail, a peerage, having been rejected once already.”
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Alastair Campbell is on BBC news now, noting that if Gary Lineker isn’t allowed to tweet on political issues, then by extrapolation, David Attenborough would be forbidden from opining on environmental matters, Brian Cox would have to stop sharing his thoughts, and likewise Alan Sugar.
Roger Bolton says the social media review “in itself resolves nothing”.
The presenter of Roger Bolton’s Beeb Watch podcast, commented: “The review is necessary, but its independence depends on who conducts it. Will it simply analyse the problem, or give recommendations?
“Is the BBC committed to accept any recommendations? It seems not.
“The report will be given to the BBC board to decide what further should be done. It is chaired by someone, Richard Sharp, who is not seen as impartial by many people, and who has been missing in action over the last crucial days.
“And has Gary Lineker agreed not to tweet on controversial issues while the review takes place? This is an important and necessary holding operation but in itself resolves nothing.”
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Thanks Caroline and morning everyone.
Handing over to my colleague Daniel Harris now.
The BBC director general, Tim Davie, told BBC News:
“I’ve always said we need to take proportionate action, and for some people … [they think] we’ve taken too severe action, others think we’re being too lenient.
“There’s never been an easy solution, but asking Gary to step back off air, I think, was a significant thing and now we look forward with this agreement, moving forward to resolve things and get back to business as usual.”
Asked whether he had reached an agreement with Lineker on social media use after the presenter’s return was announced, Davie said Linkeker will “abide by the editorial guidelines” until a review has taken place.
He added: “I think it was a very big moment in terms of us saying we have to take stock here, we have to take action, we did take action which we thought was proportionate and as the BBC we did the right thing, I did the right thing.”
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The former journalist and Labour spin doctor Alastair Campbell praised Lineker for his “professionalism, accountability and integrity” and Tim Davie for “admitting they got it wrong” after the BBC apology.
Well done @garylineker for showing that if you believe in professionalism, accountability and integrity with values to match you can prevail even in these populist polarised days of creeping right wing authoritarianism. And well done Tim Davie for admitting they got it wrong 1/4
— ALASTAIR CAMPBELL (@campbellclaret) March 13, 2023
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Before the BBC statement, the former BBC director of news James Harding told Radio 4’s Today programme that the corporation had got itself into a bit of a muddle over impartiality.
The co-founder of Tortoise Media also said the broadcaster could not police the opinion of every contributor.
“I think it’s part of a bigger muddle on impartiality,” he said, adding that the situation is “completely different” for staff outside news and current affairs.
But, he said, “ you can’t get to a world in which the BBC is policing the opinions of every writer, director, musician, sports personality, scientist, business entrepreneur”.
There were “freedom of speech principles here”.
“Those people have lives beyond the BBC and should be able to give voice to what they say.”
Harding added it was much better to have “real clarity about the strictness of rules for journalists for BBC news and current affairs, but then respect for freedom of speech outside the BBC, beyond the BBC output, for everyone else.
“And the reason we got ourselves in this mess is that we have got a set of guidelines which are not really rules, they are kind of asks of BBC contributors . And in that uncertainty, in that ambiguity, this is what’s happened.”
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A final thought: however difficult the last few days have been, it simply doesn’t compare to having to flee your home from persecution or war to seek refuge in a land far away. It’s heartwarming to have seen the empathy towards their plight from so many of you. 3/4
— Gary Lineker 💙💛 (@GaryLineker) March 13, 2023
We remain a country of predominantly tolerant, welcoming and generous people. Thank you. ❤️ 4/4
— Gary Lineker 💙💛 (@GaryLineker) March 13, 2023
Gary Lineker confirms he is returning to the BBC
Lineker confirmed in a series of tweets.
After a surreal few days, I’m delighted that we have navigated a way through this. I want to thank you all for the incredible support, particularly my colleagues at BBC Sport, for the remarkable show of solidarity. Football is a team game but their backing was overwhelming. 1/4
— Gary Lineker 💙💛 (@GaryLineker) March 13, 2023
I have been presenting sport on the BBC for almost 3 decades and am immeasurably proud to work with the best and fairest broadcaster in the world. I cannot wait to get back in the MOTD chair on Saturday. 2/4
— Gary Lineker 💙💛 (@GaryLineker) March 13, 2023
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The full statement can be found here:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/statements/director-general-tim-davie-gary-lineker
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Gary Lineker is to return as BBC reviews social media guidance
Gary Lineker is to return to the BBC after the corporation announced a review of its guidance on social media.
Lineker, who was suspended by the BBC after refusing to back down over controversial tweets about the government’s asylum policy, said in a statement issued by the BBC: “I am glad that we have found a way forward. I support this review and look forward to getting back on air.”
Tim Davie, the BBC’s director general, said in the same statement:
Everyone recognises this has been a difficult period for staff, contributors, presenters and, most importantly, our audiences. I apologise for this. The potential confusion caused by the grey areas of the BBC’s social media guidance that was introduced in 2020 is recognised. I want to get matters resolved and our sport content back on air.
Impartiality is important to the BBC. It is also important to the public. The BBC has a commitment to impartiality in its charter and a commitment to freedom of expression. That is a difficult balancing act to get right where people are subject to different contracts and on air positions, and with different audience and social media profiles. The BBC’s social media guidance is designed to help manage these sometimes difficult challenges and I am aware there is a need to ensure that the guidance is up to this task. It should be clear, proportionate, and appropriate.
Accordingly, we are announcing a review led by an independent expert – reporting to the BBC – on its existing social media guidance, with a particular focus on how it applies to freelancers outside news and current affairs. The BBC and myself are aware that Gary is in favour of such a review.
Shortly, the BBC will announce who will conduct that review. Whilst this work is undertaken, the BBC’s current social media guidance remains in place.
Gary is a valued part of the BBC and I know how much the BBC means to Gary, and I look forward to him presenting our coverage this coming weekend.”
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After hours of intensive talks between the presenter and the BBC, the corporation has agreed to let Lineker back on air without any restrictions on his social media output, insiders are said to have told the i newspaper.
It reports it understands the BBC is even set to apologise to Lineker over the fiasco, which led to Saturday’s flagship highlights programme being broadcast without presenters or commentary and several other football programmes being taken off air.
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Earlier, BBC News said that Lineker is reportedly close to returning to Match of the Day, with talks between the BBC and the presenter said to be “moving in the right direction” after a weekend of scheduling disruption, though not all issues were yet fully resolved.
The corporation is expected to announce a review of its social media guidelines in the wake of the controversial suspension of the presenter, with some reports indicating Lineker may agree to be more careful about what he tweets.
Sky News is reporting that it understands Gary Lineker will return to hosting on the BBC. In a post it said: “It’s understood the corporation will apologise to the Match of the Day presenter.
“It is unclear if he will be back on air for the FA Cup quarter-finals this weekend, but a BBC announcement is expected later today.”
Lineker “stepped back” from his presenting duties on Friday, prompting fellow pundits to refuse to present footballing programmes and leaving the BBC sports schedule in chaos.
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Gary Lineker to return to Match of the Day, according to reports
Reports say Lineker will return to presenting for the BBC with no restrictions in place on what he tweets.
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