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Piers Morgan has defended Gary Lineker's criticism of the UK government's new asylum policy, saying the Match Of The Day presenter is "not a journalist". The Talk TV presenter said Lineker's comments were "clearly inflammatory" but that his views "shouldn't matter for BBC news". Lineker, 62, has come under fire from members of the Conservative Party including Downing Street and the Home Office after he compared the language used to launch the policy to 1930s Germany.
A BBC source also told the PA news agency that the company is taking the matter "seriously" and hopes to have a "frank discussion" with the former England striker.
Morgan and Lineker are known to have clashed online multiple times before over various issues.
But in a Talk TV monologue broadcast Wednesday, Morgan said he "had no problem" with Lineker expressing his personal opinions online.
“Gary got a little carried away, as he usually does. We talk about it quite regularly, that's what he does and he would say the same about me," he said.
“We both have strong opinions, we both believe what we say and express them strongly, but we agree to disagree.
"And I have no problem with Gary Lineker, football presenter, sports presenter, giving his point of view.
“He is not a BBC journalist, he does not present The News at 10 or Question Time or Newsnight, he is a football presenter who does Match Of The Day and other major sporting events.
“He's a celebrity and a public figure, his eight and a half million subscribers want to know what he thinks about things.
“Why do we pretend that people like him exist in a closed bubble of BBC convenience, when there is no opinion?
“Who cares what Gary Lineker really says about the government's policy on things? In the end he's just a football presenter, and I don't want to say that to denigrate him, he's very good at it. But he is not a newscaster.
"So what he thinks about the immigrant situation shouldn't matter to BBC news."
Morgan went on to say that if Lineker had made his comments during the Match Of The Day performance, the criticism would have been "justified".
He said he did not like Lineker expressing his views on alleged human rights abuses in Qatar during coverage of last year's World Cup, as he had "mixed football and politics".
"If you decide not to watch it because of opinions, that's your right. But I don't think you can be a free speech advocate like me and just turn off the spigot, because I don't like the opinion I have." I'm listening," he said.
"If Lineker were to encourage the government to address the immigration crisis, the same people who are now calling for him to be removed would want him to get a statue in Trafalgar Square."
Sharing the clip to Talk TV, Morgan added, "Bad news @GaryLineker - I'm your defense," to which Lineker replied, "I'm screwed."
In his original tweet on Tuesday, Lineker commented on a Home Office video in which Ms Braverman revealed the government's plans to prevent migrants from crossing the Channel on small boats, saying the UK was "overwhelmed".
He wrote: “There is no mass influx. We welcome far fewer refugees than other major European countries.
"It is simply an immeasurably cruel policy directed against the most vulnerable people in language not unlike that used by Germany in the 1930s."
Downing Street later described the comments as "unacceptable" and "disappointing".
Other senior Conservative MPs, including Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick and Energy Secretary Grant Shapps have also raised concerns.
Following the criticism Wednesday, Lineker said he would "keep trying to speak up for those poor souls who don't have a voice."
Earlier, BBC Director General Tim Davie told the BBC that he had not spoken to Lineker, before being asked about the number of 'strikes' he had had over his impartiality and social media.
Mr Davie said: “I wouldn't talk specifically about individuals; I don't think that's fair. I think the BBC absolutely places the highest value on impartiality and that is clearly important to us.
Lineker is a freelance BBC broadcaster, not a permanent staff member, and is not responsible for news or political content, so he does not need to adhere to the same impartiality rules.
Last year he was named the BBC's top-earning on-air talent for the fifth year running and was awarded between £1,350,000 and £1,354,999 in 2021/2022 for Match of the Day and Sports Personality of the Year.
Lineker representatives have been contacted for comment.
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