Rishi Sunak hopes BBC row with Gary Lineker can be resolved but ‘not a matter for government’

The prime minister has commented on the controversy surrounding the BBC's decision to take Gary Lineker off air for the first time, saying it is “a matter for them, not the government”.

In a statement, Rishi Sunak said: “As prime minister, I have to do what I believe is right, respecting that not everyone will always agree. That is why I have been unequivocal in my approach to stopping the boats.

“Gary Lineker was a great footballer and is a talented presenter. I hope that the current situation between Gary Lineker and the BBC can be resolved in a timely manner, but it is rightly a matter for them, not the government.”

However, following Mr Lineker’s Twitter remarks on the government’s new illegal immigration policy, Downing Street branded the pundit’s comments “disappointing”, increasing pressure on the BBC to act.

On Wednesday, the prime minister's press secretary told reporters: “It's obviously disappointing to see someone whose salary is funded by hard-working British (licence fee) payers using that kind of rhetoric and seemingly dismissing their legitimate concerns that they have about small boats crossings and illegal migration.

“But beyond that, it's up to the BBC, who I think have said today that they'll be having a conversation with Gary Lineker, and it's not for me to comment further.”

The BBC apologised after it was forced to pull several sports programmes following a boycott by presenters and pundits in support of Gary Lineker.

The broadcaster said it would air only “limited sport programming” over the weekend and was “working hard to resolve the situation”.

Saturday's TV and radio sporting timetables were changed at the last minute and Sunday's Match Of The Day has also been thrown into question.

It comes after Lineker was told to step back from hosting the Saturday edition of the football highlights programme in a row over impartiality.

The show will be limited to around 20 minutes and will not include accompanying commentary or analysis due to the broadcaster not having the rights to the Premier League's global commentary feed, according to reports.

Fellow sports presenters including Alex Scott, Kelly Somers and Jason Mohammad said they were pulling out of their shows, which resulted in Football Focus and Final Score being scrapped from the BBC One schedule, while 5 Live's radio coverage was also altered.

In a statement, a BBC spokesperson said: “The BBC will only be able to bring limited sport programming this weekend and our schedules will be updated to reflect that.

“We are sorry for these changes which we recognise will be disappointing for BBC sport fans.

“We are working hard to resolve the situation and hope to do so soon.”

The corporation's director of sport, Barbara Slater, also issued an apology to staff for the disruption to the schedule.

Within the letter, Ms Slater said: “We are sorry about the impact that the news relating to Gary Lineker and Match Of The Day is having across the department this weekend.”

Rishi Sunak added in his statement that the government needed to “break the cycle of misery” created by criminal gangs trafficking people across the channel.

“There are no easy answers to solving this problem, but I believe leadership is about taking the tough decisions to fix problems. I know not everyone will always agree, but I do believe this is fair and right,” Mr Sunak said.