“I guess we’ll find out what the will of the British people is at the next general election. If you do end up out of work, I’ll put in a word for you with Walkers Crisps.”
Match of the Day host Gary Lineker has hit back at Tory MPs after they criticised him for daring to have a view on the government’s Rwanda deportation scheme, after the former England striker put his name to a letter urging ministers to scrap the plan.
Lineker, along with other celebrities signed an open letter calling for politicians to come up with a “fair new plan for refugees”, after the Rwanda policy which is a key part of the government’s plan to stop small boat crossings, was ruled unlawful by the Supreme Court.
Lineker was among a handful of the signatories to the letter who supplied quotes for the letter. He stated: “We need a new system that reflects the will of the British people who have opened their homes, donated and volunteered in their local communities.
“That’s why I’m backing this new campaign – because fair really can begin here.”
The government is attempting to push through its Safety of Rwanda Bill by compelling judges to treat Rwanda as a safe country and giving ministers the powers to disregard sections of the Human Rights Act.
Lineker’s intervention led to a backlash among Tory MPs, with Deputy Chairman Lee Anderson citing a quote he’d given the Daily Mail. He posted on X: “For once in his life, Gary’s absolutely right – we do need a system that reflects the will of the British people.
“What the people want is to stop the boats and to tell overpaid crisp salesmen to put a sock in it.
“Alongside cracking down on illegal migration, we need another robust system which keeps Lineker as far away from the public as possible, to give us all a rest from his left wing out of touch nonsense.”
Lineker replied on X: “I guess we’ll find out what the will of the British people is at the next general election. If you do end up out of work, I’ll put in a word for you with Walkers Crisps.”
Tory MP Jonathan Gullis also took aim at Lineker, posting on X: “Yet another breach of the BBC’s impartiality rules by @GaryLineker. But, sadly, spineless Tim Davie will do nothing about it, having surrendered to Lineker previously.” Lineker replied: “Jonathan hasn’t read the new guidelines….or, should I say, had someone read them to him?”
Defence Secretary Grant Shapps also criticised Lineker, telling ITV news: “I just think @GaryLineker should get on with commenting on football and stop meddling in these other areas.”
To which Lineker replied: “A tad rich coming from someone who can’t even stick to one name. 4 chaps Shapps.”
Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward
To reach hundreds of thousands of new readers we need to grow our donor base substantially.
That's why in 2024, we are seeking to generate 150 additional regular donors to support Left Foot Forward's work.
We still need another 117 people to donate to hit the target. You can help. Donate today.