Gary Lineker appears to take swipe at Boris Johnson by writing about ‘folk’ who ‘constantly tell fibs’ less than an hour after the ex-PM’s Partygate defence was published
- BBC says it was ‘aware’ but it is not going to comment on ‘every tweet’ he makes
- Read more: Should Gary Lineker be sacked by the BBC?
Gary Linker appeared to take a swipe at Boris Johnson just two weeks after the presenter’s anti-Tory tweets sparked a full-blown crisis at the BBC.
The Match of the Day host, 62, today wrote about ‘folk’ who ‘constantly tell fibs’ less than an hour after the former prime minister’s legal defence over Partygate was published.
Last week the BBC’s director-general Tim Davie claimed that Lineker had agreed to abide by the Corporation’s editorial rules until a review of its social media guidelines was completed.
When asked about the new social media post today, the Corporation said it was ‘aware’ of it, but that it was not going to comment on ‘every tweet’ he makes.
BBC bosses have already been accused of ‘capitulation’ for letting the star back on air without further punishment.
Gary Lineker wrote about ‘folk’ who ‘constantly tell fibs’ less than an hour after Boris Johnson’s legal defence over Partygate was published
Lineker did not say who he was referring to but many interpreted his post as an attack on the former Prime Minister
He returned to Match of the Day last weekend despite not apologising for likening the Government’s migration crackdown to Nazi Germany.
This came after the Corporation’s earlier decision to take him off air over the row sparked a boycott by top talent at the broadcaster.
Today the former England striker wrote: ‘When folk constantly tell fibs, it’s really difficult to know when they’re telling the truth. I imagine it’s even a challenge for themselves.’
READ MORE: Gary Lineker shares pointed statement after migrant Twitter storm as BBC bosses bring him back
Lineker did not say who he was referring to, but many interpreted the post as an attack on Mr Johnson.
Mr Davie, last week said he recognised ‘grey areas’ in the broadcaster’s social media guidance could cause ‘confusion’. He announced an independent review of the guidelines, particularly for freelancers.
The BBC today pointed out that it had already outlined plans for a review on its social media guidance.
It comes as ministers yesterday suggested the Corporation would be able to retain the famous BBC Singers if it cut down on expensive stars like Lineker.
The decision to axe the professional choir has sparked an outcry.
Former culture secretary Oliver Dowden is understood to have led calls at yesterday’s Cabinet meeting to keep the choral group, noting that in total they cost about the same as other ‘BBC top talent’.
Mr Dowden did not mention the Match of the Day presenter. But a source noted that the £1.5million cost of the choir was similar to his £1.35million salary.
At the weekend Mr Dowden described Lineker’s notorious intervention in the immigration debate as ‘deeply offensive’.
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