Jeremy Hunt has stepped up pressure on the BBC to make sure it upholds its reputation for “impartiality” in the wake of Gary Lineker’s suspension.
The chancellor said he “deeply disagrees” with the Twitter host’s comments that compared the government’s new law on illegal immigration to rhetoric in 1930s Germany.
“I think it shows, like the debate over the appointment of the BBC chairman … that impartiality is very important to the BBC,” he told Sky. Sophie Ridge Sunday. “The reason this is a great national body that we all value so much is that it is respected for its impartiality, so we need to make sure that the result of this is to restore people’s confidence in the impartiality of the BBC.”
He added that “it’s important that we let the BBC solve these problems”, but the result he wanted to see was “maintaining the credibility of a very, very important institution”.
“I think if we think the BBC should be independent, which is what I do. If we believe in the impartiality of the BBC, as I do, then we must let the BBC solve these problems,” Hunt continued.
The network has come under mounting pressure since it was announced last week that Mr. Lineker was stepping down as spokesperson. game of the day “Until an agreement is reached on his use of social media,” he responds to his criticism of the government’s asylum policy.
The BBC said the comments violated its editorial rules of impartiality.
Regular shows were then suspended on Saturday after a number of sports presenters and pundits pulled out of programs supporting the former England striker.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also put pressure on the BBC on Saturday evening, saying in a statement that he hoped for a “timely settlement of the dispute”.
He has defended the new Irregular Migration Act, which prevents people who have arrived in the UK on small boats from applying for asylum, arguing that his approach is “not only fair and moral, but also compassionate”.
BBC CEO Tim Davy said yesterday that he was not going to resign over a row with Gary Lineker, but apologized for disrupting sports programming.
“As an avid sports fan, I know it’s a huge blow to miss a program and I’m sorry. We are working hard to resolve this situation and make sure the show goes on the air,” he told the BBC. “Everyone wants to calmly resolve the situation. Gary Lineker is the best in the business, there’s no doubt about it.”
Mr. Davy also emphasized that the removal of Mr. Lineker was due to the preservation of impartiality. He said: “We made decisions and I made decisions based on a real passion for what the BBC is and it’s difficult – it’s a balance between freedom of expression and impartiality.
“Honestly, I don’t think it’s about left or right, despite a lot of comments – it’s about our abilities, we are passionate about democratic debate, freedom of speech, but along with this there is a need to create an impartial organization. . ” .”
Source: I News
I’m Sandra Hansen, a news website Author and Reporter for 24 News Reporters. I have over 7 years of experience in the journalism field, with an extensive background in politics and political science. My passion is to tell stories that are important to people around the globe and to engage readers with compelling content.