Gary Lineker hits out at BBC rule change that 'doesn't make any sense'

Gary Lineker has criticised the change the BBC made to its rules governing the social media use of its employees. Lineker has worked for the corporation for 30 years, first as a pundit and since 1999 as host of Match of the Day.

The former England star's contract means he is technically a freelancer, with Lineker also working for other broadcasters and fronting his own podcast. His status as a freelancer working for Sport meant that Lineker was not subject to impartiality rules.

The presenter found himself in hot water back in March 2023 though . The row erupted when Lineker called the policy "immeasurably cruel", and said a video promoting it used language that was "not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s".

The Tory party hit out at Lineker, with the BBC subsequently forcing . The corporation also changed their rules around impartiality on social media and how it applied to presenters.

While staff working in news and current affairs are expected to remain impartial on social platforms, there had been questions over how much the rules extended to BBC personalities in other areas such as entertainment and sport. Lineker has now blasted the changes.

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"The impartiality rules were for people in news and current affairs. They have subsequently changed," he told Amol Rajan in a new interview. "But that left people like me, who has always given his honest opinions about things.

"Then they suddenly changed them and you have to go, 'Oh, I've got to be impartial now'. It doesn't make any sense. Why worry about the people who don't like you. This is the mistake the BBC makes.

"The BBC tries to appease the people that hate the BBC. The people who always attack the licence fee. They worry far too much about that, rather than worrying about the people who love the BBC.

"Why shouldn't I have an opinion on things? I've always been strong on humanitarian issues and always will be, and that's me. The goalposts were massively moved because it was never an issue until, suddenly, this point.

"It was always stipulated in the BBC guidelines that in terms of impartiality, it was for people who work in news and current affairs. I am very, very thoughtful about what I say. They took me off air and it was a silly overreaction."

Lineker quickly returned to work for the BBC, with the corporation updating its social media guidance in 2023 following a review. The former star has also admitted , though insisted he does not regret posting the tweets.

"I don't regret saying them publicly, because I was right - what I said, it was accurate - so not at all in that sense. Would I, in hindsight, do it again? No I wouldn't, because of all the nonsense that came with it," he added.

"It was a ridiculous overreaction that was just a reply to someone that was being very rude. And I wasn't particularly rude back. I just stated a couple of facts. But I wouldn't do it again because of all the kerfuffle that followed.

"I love the BBC, and I didn't like the damage that it did to the BBC, having to take the show off tele. I wouldn't do it again, but do I regret it and do I think it was the wrong thing to do? No."

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