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 Iran Herald 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 Iran Herald.
More InformationLONDON, England: Reuters has reported that struggling Virgin Orbit, owned by billionaire Richard Branson, is nearing a $200-million investment deal ...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: To comply with the requirements of the "Made in America" laws, a $7.5 billion federal ...
LONDON, England: During a Bloomberg conference held in London this week, Luke Ellis, CEO of hedge fund Man Group, said ...
NEW YORK, New York - Wall Street jumped on Friday, although gains were modest after bank shares in Europe came ...
LOS ANGELES, California: Some 30,000 education workers in Los Angeles, backed by teachers, went on a three-day strike, canceling school ...
LONDON, England: Despite rising air fares, a potential global economic recession and risks of gridlock at some airports in Europe ...
JERUSALEM - Israel's defense minister became the first ally in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition to break ranks Saturday as ...
Jerusalem - A drive by the hard-right coalition government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to enact sweeping changes to Israel's ...
MUQDADIYAH, Iraq - Hussein Maytham and his family were driving past the palm tree grove near their home after shopping ...
Brussels is reportedly concerned about an uptick in dual-use items being shipped to Central AsiaThe EU may introduce trade restrictions ...
BEIRUT - Iran-backed fighters were on alert in eastern Syria on Saturday, a day after U.S. forces launched retaliatory airstrikes ...
Tamil Nadu (Chennai) [India], March 25 (ANI): The second G20 Framework Working Group (FWG) meeting under India's G20 Presidency concluded ...