Gary Lineker, the former England footballer and current host of the BBC show "Match of the Day," has been asked to step back from presenting until an agreement is made regarding his use of social media. The move comes after he criticized the new asylum policy of the British government, which sparked an impartiality row.
Lineker had taken to Twitter to respond to a video of Home Secretary Suella Braverman discussing plans to prevent people from crossing the Channel in small boats. He wrote that the policy was "immeasurably cruel" and "not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the '30s.'"
The BBC subsequently said that it considers Lineker's recent social media activity to be a breach of its guidelines, and that he will be stepping back from presenting until an agreed and clear position on his use of social media is reached.
The British government's new policy seeks to prevent illegal immigrants from crossing the Channel in small boats by making it illegal for them to ask for asylum in the UK and instead sending them to a third country such as Rwanda. The policy has been criticized by human rights groups and the United Nations, who say that it breaks European and UN rules about asylum.
Lineker has stood by his criticism of the policy and said that he is not worried about being fired by the BBC. In a statement, the BBC praised his sports reporting as "second to none," but said that he should keep well away from taking sides on party political issues or political controversies.
Ian Wright, who used to play for Arsenal and England, showed his support for Lineker by saying that he would not be appearing on "Match of the Day" on Saturday.
The BBC has recently implemented new policies regarding social media use, with employees being told that they need to follow editorial guidelines and have editorial oversight. Lineker, who is a freelancer for the BBC, does not have to follow the same rules about fairness as full-time employees who are in charge of news or political content.