George Osborne has backed Gary Lineker in his row with the BBC and criticised former colleagues’ rhetoric around asylum policy.
The former chancellor also spoke up for Tim Davie, the BBC director-general, who has flown back from the US to try to end the dispute, but described the whole situation as a “bit of a mess”.
Davie was in Washington DC but travelled overnight to resolve a crisis that has severely disrupted the corporation’s sports coverage over the weekend. He is back in the UK with BBC insiders hopeful that a resolution can be found in which Lineker returns to TV screens next weekend.
Osborne, speaking to The Andrew Neil Show on Channel 4, said: “Personally I think some of the language used on immigration by some Conservatives – not all – is not acceptable. I have a lot of sympathy for Tim Davie, the director-general, who’s trying to maintain impartiality for the BBC in a partisan age. But it’s all ended up in a bit of a mess.”
One source said they expected programming to return to normal as early as Monday, with Mark Chapman — who is not expected to host Match of the Day 2 this evening — due to present The Monday Night Club on BBC Radio 5 Live.
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Davie’s return came as Richard Sharp, chairman of the BBC, faced growing presure to resign, with a predecessor criticising him for failing to be open about his links to Boris Johnson and staying silent on the crisis.
Sharp has faced scrutiny since The Sunday Times revealed that he helped facilitate a loan of up to £800,000 for Johnson, then the prime minister, who weeks later appointed him to his role at the broadcaster. A committee of MPs found that Sharp made “significant errors of judgement” by failing to disclose the potential conflict of interest. It said he should consider the effect that had on trust in him, the BBC and the public appointments process.
Sharp, 67, remains under investigation by the Whitehall appointments watchdog. His future could be resolved sooner because of the crisis engulfing the broadcaster.
Lineker, 62, who hosts Match of the Day, has been suspended for breaking the corporation’s rules on impartiality after he tweeted that the language being used around Rishi Sunak’s migration policy was “not dissimilar” to that used in Germany in the 1930s.
Other presenters showed solidarity by declining to work. By Saturday evening the plan was for Match of the Day to run as a 20-minute programme without commentary.
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The prime minister distanced himself from the dispute saying that he hoped it could be “resolved in a timely manner” but it was “a matter for them”. He added that his plan to deport all illegal migrants was the “moral” and “fair choice”. He said Lineker was a “great” player and presenter but added: “I have to do what I believe is right.”
Sir Keir Starmer said the BBC was not acting impartially and was “caving in” to Tory MPs. The Labour leader said the government was blaming “anybody else” rather than “accepting they’ve broken the asylum system”.
George Lineker, the presenter’s son, told The Sunday Mirror: “I’m proud of him for standing by his word. That’s why he was pulled off the show — because he wouldn’t apologise. But he will always speak up for people who don’t have a voice.” He said: “Will he go back to Match of the Day? I think so — he loves Match of the Day. But he won’t ever back down on his word.”
He added: “To take him off the air for having a voice is harsh, and I think he was surprised, and a bit disappointed.”
The treatment of Lineker has prompted allegations of double standards as Sharp — a Conservative Party donor, friend of Johnson and former boss of Sunak at Goldman Sachs — has not been sanctioned.
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As chairman he is entrusted with preserving the BBC’s impartiality and independence. The only action Sharp is facing from the BBC is an inquiry conducted by members of his own board on whether his declaration of interest form is up to date.
He will continue to chair board meetings as part of his £160,000-a-year role, including any discussions in which Lineker’s future is raised. Sources suggested that such a gathering could take place in the next week.
Lord Patten of Barnes has criticised Sharp for claiming that his involvement with Johnson’s finances did not constitute a real or perceived conflict of interest.
Patten, who chaired the BBC Trust from 2011 to 2014, said: “Different people clearly these days have a different view of what a perception of a conflict of interest is. Plainly, Mr Sharp’s understanding of what it means is different from mine.
“When you sign up for a particular public post, you agree that there isn’t a conflict of interest or a perception of a conflict of interest. Now I think the House of Commons, the [digital, culture, media and sport] select committee, clearly thought there was a manifest perception of a conflict. And I don’t think most people would disagree with that.”
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Patten, 78, a former Conservative Party chairman and the last British governor of Hong Kong, said Sharp would be contemplating his future. Asked if he should go, he remarked: “Is the correct phrase, ‘I’m sure he’s considering his position’?” He continued: “My position is he’s a sentient human being and he presumably is considering his position.”
He also accused Sharp of failing to champion the BBC amid the Lineker row, stating: “I felt obliged as chairman of the trust to go out and speak up for the BBC, and what it was doing, whenever possible. And even though the chairman of the BBC doesn’t have any responsibilities for editorial or news content, I’m quite surprised that his voice . . . Well, I’m quite surprised in one respect that his voice has not been heard during the whole of this debate.”
Other former BBC executives and correspondents also said Sharp’s role was untenable. Roger Mosey, the former head of BBC TV News, said: “Richard Sharp should go. He damages the BBC’s credibility. Ideally, Lineker should stay within clear, agreed guidelines.”
Norman Smith, the former BBC News chief political correspondent, said: “I’m all for BBC impartiality but it’s a nonsense to take a stand over Lineker if not prepared to take a stand over the BBC chairman.”
A former senior BBC veteran said: “I thought last week when the [Lineker] story broke that it was all a bit ridiculous, now I actually think Richard Sharp will have to go.” They added: “When you have lost the entire sports reporting staff over Lineker and Sharp is still in his role, something has got to happen to clear the air and in my view Sharp has got to go.”
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Sir Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrat leader, said Sharp’s position was untenable and blamed the government for “systematically attacking the independence of the BBC”.
Labour’s Lucy Powell said the same, adding it was impossible to have a debate about impartiality over Lineker when the “same cries of impartiality were completely absent” among Conservatives in the case of Sharp. She is likely to raise questions about the speed and powers of the ongoing inquiry into Sharp amid suggestions it could be kicked into the long grass.
She has written to Lucy Frazer, the culture secretary, saying Sharp’s conduct had “profoundly damaged” the BBC’s perceived impartiality and that he was “totally unable” to give the public confidence in the corporation’s handling of the Lineker affair.
She called on her to clarify any conversations she had with Sharp, Davie and other BBC executives about Lineker’s suspension. She also called on the minister to clarify when the investigation into Sharp’s appointment would be completed.
William Shawcross, the commissioner for public appointments, launched an investigation into the process by which Sharp received the role in January, only to recuse himself days later because of previous “contact” between the pair.
In his place, Adam Heppinstall KC is leading the investigation. However, there is neither a deadline for its completion nor a terms of reference document.
A spokeswoman said Heppinstall would consider if Sharp’s appointment had taken place in line with the government rules. These state: “Candidates must be asked to declare potential conflicts of interest in their application. “All potential conflicts of interest and how they might be managed must be discussed with an individual at interview.”
In December 2020, Sharp helped facilitate financial support for Johnson in Downing Street. He first spoke about finding a solution to the prime minister’s straitened finances with Sam Blyth, a wealthy cousin of Johnson’s, at a dinner party and over the phone. Sharp then went into No 10 to discuss Blyth’s offer of support with Simon Case, the cabinet secretary.
The Cabinet Office later wrote a memorandum to Johnson saying: “Given the imminent announcement of Richard Sharp as the new BBC chair, it is important that you no longer ask his advice about your personal financial matters.”
Sarah Healey, a member of the advisory panel which scrutinised applications for the BBC role, has confirmed Sharp did not disclose his involvement in Johnson’s finances at any stage. MPs on the digital, culture, media and sport select committee, which must vet and confirm the government’s preferred candidate for BBC chairman, did not know either.
BBC sources have said the broadcaster was not responsible for deciding Sharp’s future. They have said it is up to the government of the day to decide whether or not they have confidence in the chairman, although it is likely a boardroom rebellion would force the situation.
Allies of Sharp said it was unfair to draw parallels between his treatment and Lineker’s, saying that would amount to “conflation” of two separate issues.
Sharp has said he regrets the “embarrassment” caused by the loan controversy but denied facilitating the agreement or providing financial advice to Johnson.
