Voice of America
19 Mar 2023, 10:36 GMT+10
LONDON - Former England football captain Gary Lineker returned to host the BBC's flagship soccer show Saturday, a week after his suspension for criticizing government immigration policy caused a row over the broadcaster's impartiality rules.
BBC managers reversed their decision to suspend Lineker, the broadcaster's highest-paid presenter, after his colleagues refused to work in solidarity last weekend, forcing it to air soccer matches without normal commentary.
The controversy shook the public broadcaster, which is funded by a levy on nearly all British households with televisions, and which often faces accusations of bias from across the political spectrum.
'It was a really difficult situation for everyone concerned,' Lineker's co-presenter Alan Shearer said in a short statement to viewers before the start of the BBC's broadcast of an FA Cup quarter-final game between Burnley and Manchester City.
'And through no fault of their own, some really great people on TV and in radio were put in an impossible situation, and that wasn't fair. So, it's good to get back to some sort of normality and be talking about football again,' Shearer said.
Lineker said, 'I absolutely echo those sentiments.'
Lineker, who has hosted refugees in his home, had been suspended March 10 for a tweet that called government policy on migration 'immeasurably cruel' and compared language used to support it to 'that used by Germany in the 30s.'
BBC news reporters and current affairs presenters are required to avoid making politically partisan statements, though those guidelines do not generally apply to other staff or to presenters on freelance contracts such as Lineker.
He refused to apologize for his tweet and the opposition Labour Party accused the broadcaster of caving in to government pressure by suspending him. After reinstating Lineker, the BBC said it would review how its impartiality guidelines applied to freelance presenters' use of social media.
Reducing illegal migration is one of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's top policy goals for 2023.
More than 45,000 people - mostly young men from Albania, Afghanistan, Iran and Iraq - crossed the Channel in small boats last year, preferring to seek asylum in Britain rather than other countries they had traveled through in Europe.
Interior minister Suella Braverman has described these arrivals as an 'invasion' and is seeking to deport thousands of migrants to Rwanda.
Get a daily dose of The UK News news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to The UK News.
More InformationMENINDEE, Australia: After recent floods and hot weather, millions of dead fish have washed up in southeastern Australia, which authorities ...
BOISE, Idaho: Under a bill passed by the Idaho Legislature thios with a veto-proof majority, the state will allow firing ...
SACRAMENTO, California: The state of California and generic drug manufacturer Civica have announced a 10-year partnership to produce affordable, state-branded ...
CHEYENNE, Wyoming: A Wyoming bill outlawing the use or prescription of medication abortion pills, which was passed by the state's ...
DENVER, Colorado: The Southern Nevada Water Authority has voted to accept a $2.4 million grant from the US Bureau of ...
WASHINGTON D.C.: The US government has reported that the exceptionally wet winter in California this year will offer relief from ...
Leigh Finke began her role as a US state representative less than three months agoLeigh Finke, a transgender former journalist ...
Austin FC acquired defender Aleksandar Radovanovic on loan from KV Kortrijk of the Belgian Jupiler Pro League. The agreement runs ...
Berlin [Germany], March 22 (ANI): Former Arsenal, Real Madrid and Germany midfielder Mesut Ozil has announced his retirement at the ...
Brussels [Belgium], March 22 (ANI): Manchester City's star mid-fielder Kevin De Bruyne has been named the captain of Belgium after ...
Paris [France], March 22 (ANI): Kylian Mbappe, a player who has become one of the most decorated strikers in football, ...
Manchester [United Kingdom], March 22 (ANI): World Cup winner, the next Argentine sensation in making 23-year-old striker Julian Alvarez has ...