The “Gary Lineker controversy,” as it was euphemistically dubbed, appeared to end almost as quickly as it began, but not before the BBC endured a pundit boycott, a public relations nightmare, and charges of political prejudice.
As I see it, there are three questions: what Gary Lineker said (and whether people agree with it or not), whether he should have said it (as a well-known BBC sports personality, albeit not a news presenter), and whether the BBC has or has not been guilty of double standards in its approach to maintaining impartiality in this and other cases.
BBC should be able to deal with turbulent politics
On the first question, Lineker tweeted about the government’s new regulations prohibiting the settlement of migrants who come on small boats.
He stated, “This is an unfathomably cruel program aimed at the most vulnerable individuals, using terminology somewhat dissimilar to that employed by Germany in the 1930s, and I’m out of order?”
You may or may not agree with his viewpoint. While I would not have stated it that way, I do believe he provided a focal point for the millions of British who, like me, are worried by a bill that many view as unethical, maybe unlawful, costly, and impractical.
The BBC has effectively deferred the second question by launching a review of its social media standards to settle the dispute with Lineker.
Yet, the issue of political prejudice dominated discussion in Westminster.
Tim Davie, the director general, has previously run as a Conservative candidate. Robbie Gibb, a member of the BBC Board, has been characterized as “by former BBC journalist Emily Maitlis, “an active agent of the Conservative Party”
Richard Sharp, the chair of the BBC, is a prominent Tory contributor who was chosen by Boris Johnson after helping him arrange a loan he did not disclose at the time of his appointment. This raises severe problems.
My fellow Liberal Democrats and I are pushing for Sharp’s resignation. We need BBC leadership capable of withstanding today’s volatile politics and preserving the BBC’s independence.
Lineker may return to the screen, but the fallout from the scandal will extend into extra time.