Lineker responds to Mordaunt’s asylum comments

Gary Lineker has suggested he will avoid suspension by the BBC for his comments about the Government’s asylum policy.

The Match Of The Day presenter’s row with the Government deepened as he hit back at Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt on Twitter and accused her of using a “clumsy analogy”.

Lineker is facing criticism from members of the Conservative Party after comparing the language used to launch the new policy with 1930s Germany.

BBC taking the matter “seriously”

The BBC has said it is taking the matter “seriously” and expects to have a “frank conversation” with Lineker, and on Thursday the BBC pundit confirmed he had spoken to director-general Tim Davie.

He tweeted: “Well, it’s been an interesting couple of days. Happy that this ridiculously out of proportion story seems to be abating and very much looking forward to presenting @BBCMOTD on Saturday.

“Thanks again for all your incredible support. It’s been overwhelming.”

Lineker later responded to Ms Mordaunt on Twitter after she accused Labour of borrowing from his “playbook” by being the “party of goal hangers”.

He tweeted: “Thank you for mentioning me in your clumsy analogy. I’m just happy to have been better in the 6 yard box than you are at the dispatch box. Best wishes.”

“Rishi Sunak

Rishi Sunak has continued to defend the Government’s new immigration policy, saying “I hope everyone over time realises that this is the right approach”.

He said: “I strongly believe that what we’re doing is the right thing to do. I think it’s the fair thing to do and I actually believe that it’s the moral and compassionate thing to do, and I’ve made that argument multiple times.

“I’ll continue to make it and I think actually the more people think about this challenge and how best to address it they will see that it is the right approach.

“And actually I was pleased that there was actually quite a lot of strong support for the approach we’ve outlined now that we’ve outlined it, because this is about thinking what’s the best way to help the world’s most vulnerable people.”

The “Linekers of the world”

Sunak was later asked whether the “Linekers of the world” will realise they have “got it wrong”.

He said: “I hope everyone over time realises that this is the right approach because we’ve looked at lots of different things, tried lots of other ways, as I’ve said, and nothing else has worked.

“And having looked at this long and hard myself I’m confident this is the best and right approach to solve this problem, which I think everyone acknowledges is a challenge and it’s one of my five priorities because I think it’s undoubtedly something that the country thinks is important and needs resolving.

“The question is how do you resolve it in a way that’s fair, compassionate and can resolve it and that’s what I think our approach does.”

Related: Unhinged or unworkable? The Tory’s Illegal Immigration Bill is both