BBC rules Gary Lineker DID break impartiality rules with tweet criticising the Tories

Gary Lineker breached BBC impartiality rules with a social media post criticising the Tories. The Match of the Day host, 61, used Twitter to quote an article about Liz Truss, then the Foreign Secretary, urging Premier League teams to boycott the Champions League final in Russia. UEFA moved the final to Paris after Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine. The BBC's Executive Complaints Unit upheld a complaint against Linecer over his Tweet.

Gary Lineker's tweet about sewerage in relation to MPs' vote sparked a row with BBC journalist Neil Henderson. Mr Henderson later apologized. Linecer is the highest paid BBC presenter for the last five years. BBC board ruled that Lineer has an 'additional responsibility' because of his high profile. He is not required to uphold the same high standards of impartiality as BBC journalists. The BBC's director general said Lineers' social media is a work in progress. It is accepted that the Tweet was intended as a comment on sport rather than politics.