Fern Britton makes dramatic u-turn over Gary Lineker as she slams BBC bosses

11 March 2023 , 10:58

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Fern Britton has voiced her support for Gary Lineker after realising that he is not contractually obligated to not share his political opinions.

Earlier this week, the England football legend, 62, compared language used by the Conservative party in their 'Stop the Boats' asylum policy to terminology used by Hitler's Third Reich regime - prompting BBC bosses to remove him from presenting Match Of The Day this weekend.

The dad-of-four, who works for the BBC as a freelance TV host, said the language in which their plan to 'stop the boats' was set out was "not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s".

Gary described the government's new Migration Bill as "beyond awful" after it was unveiled by home secretary Suella Braverman on Tuesday - later adding: "This is just an immeasurably cruel policy directed at the most vulnerable people in language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s."

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Fern Britton has supported Gary Lineker in his row with the BBC (BBC/Ronen Mayo)

Amid huge backlash, the presenter refused to delete the tweet or apologise - causing huge issues for the BBC whose public service broadcasting remit requires them to be politically neutral.

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Fern, herself a telly veteran, shared her thoughts on the situation, initially claiming that Gary was at fault.

She tweeted: "Whilst I share @GaryLineker’s view on the migrant refugees, he has signed a contract. I have signed a few and all of them ask that you are impartial . I’d say that includes sport teams as well as political teams. It may not be fair but that’s what you sign."

However, a few hours later she followed up with a slightly different POV.

She posted: "It’s now thought that @GaryLineker might not be bound to the kind of contract a lot of us have been. If that is the case I can stop being so old school! While I’m at it, the inhumanity of this govt towards desperate refugees is appalling. And BBC bosses are in the s**t ."

Many of her followers were pleased by her new stance on the matter. One commented: "So glad you've said this. Your previous comment upset me coming from you. Sometimes there are more important things to stand up for Fern."

The BBC confirmed yesterday evening that no-one will be presenting Match of the Day this weekend following a number of stars - including Alan Shearer, Ian Wright and Alex Scott, opting to support Lineker.

In a statement shared earlier today, the BBC said: "The BBC has been in extensive discussions with Gary and his team in recent days. We have said that we consider his recent social media activity to be a breach of our guidelines.

Gary with MOTD co-presenter Alan Shearer (PA)

The BBC has decided that he will step back from presenting Match of the Day until we’ve got an agreed and clear position on his use of social media.

“When it comes to leading our football and sports coverage, Gary is second to none. We have never said that Gary should be an opinion free zone, or that he can’t have a view on issues that matter to him, but we have said that he should keep well away from taking sides on party political issues or political controversies."

The Mirror has launched a petition to have Gary Lineker reinstated at the BBC and as the host of Match of the Day. Sign it here.