Gary Lineker suspended by the BBC over political tweet

How can anyone argue, with a straight face, that a sports presenter's views on current affairs has affected the journalistic integrity of the BBC in any way? Disappointing that it has caved into pressure from the likes of GB News.

Gary Lineker, a freelancer, is paid as an expert in his (or should I say on the...) field typically presenting one night per week. He is not paid to be political - which is the exact point his critics make, and you could say their logic is an own goal.

Nobody working outside the world of politics is actively paid to be political and nobody working for the BBC in any department other than news is paid to be impartial on social media.

If Gary Lineker had a clause in his contract, where would the BBC draw the line?

Think of all the talented actors and comedians that appear on the BBC - and are a huge part of what makes it such a treasured institution - whose politics are transparent, whether that’s from appearing on a satirical panel show or something they said on Twitter at midnight. Should they all go?

We all fund the BBC and expect its news operation to provide facts and analysis without spin or bias. Does it get that right every time? Of course not - no organisation would - but 99.9% of the time it does. When it comes to impartiality, not knowing the politics of its journalists and the broadcaster not taking sides is all that matters.

Let’s not forget the BBC’s own chairman, Richard Sharp (*a political appointment - and that ought to change), was a Conservative Party donor who failed to disclose facilitating an £800k loan to Boris Johnson just weeks before being recommended for his current role by the then-prime minister.

Long may the BBC continue to inform, educate and entertain - and long may non-news personalities be free to express their personal views off-air without causing a storm in a teacup.

*many BBC journalists are among the world’s best and most trustworthy, and the chairman has no influence on their reporting. With thousands of employees, if there was even the slightest bit of interference from the top, we would know about it. However, it’s really not a good look and most BBC people I know would agree.