Search icon

International

08th Mar 2023

Gary Linker ‘to be spoken to’ after comparing UK government’s migrant plan to Nazi Germany

JOE

Gary Lineker BBC

By Jack Peat.

The MOTD presenter has provoked fury among Conservatives

Gary Lineker will be ‘given a talking-to’ by the BBC following a social media post in which he appeared to compare UK Home Office policy to Nazi Germany.

The Match of the Day presenter, who has 8.6 million followers on Twitter, commented on a video put out by UK home secretary Suella Braverman in which she unveiled new controversial plans to stop migrant boats crossing the Channel.

Under the proposed legislation, anyone arriving in Britain by crossing the Channel in a small boat – or any other unauthorised means – would no longer be able to claim asylum in the UK.

Gary Lineker BBC

Instead, they would only be eligible for asylum in a “safe” third country, such as Rwanda, and be handed a lifetime ban on citizenship or re-entry to the UK and potentially jail time.

Responding to the plans, Lineker tweeted:

“Good heavens, this is beyond awful.”

He then replied to a user who challenged him because it was “easy to pontificate when it doesn’t affect you”.