Gary Lineker believed that he had ‘special agreement’ with BBC over tweets

"Gary takes a passionate interest in refugees and immigration."

Gary Lineker believed that he had a "special agreement" with BBC General Director over what he can and can't tweet about, according to his agent. John Holmes, who represents the Match of the Day presenter, thought that there was an understanding between his client and the broadcasting powerhouse. The 'impartiality row' which sparked when Lineker tweeted about refugees, and the language in which the government talked about them, had “collapsed into a shambles” Writing in The New Statesman, Holmes offered an insight into the fallout in the days since the initial tweet.

“My phone started ringing excessively on the afternoon of Tuesday 7 March after Suella Braverman had made her statement on the government’s small boats policy in the Commons,” he wrote. “Gary Lineker, with whom I’ve worked since 1980, had tweeted about the policy, reiterating his support for refugees.

"Gary takes a passionate interest in refugees and immigration and, as he saw it, had a special agreement with Tim Davie, the BBC’s director-general, to tweet about these issues. Holmes described the BBC guidelines on social media use for staff and freelancers as “a bit vague” but said that both he and Lineker believed in the “impartiality and independence” of the broadcaster. Since the row, Lineker has changed his Twitter profile picture to a photo of himself next to a George Orwell quote, which is written on the wall outside of the BBC. “If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear,” the quote reads. Related links:

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• Ex-BBC boss says axing Gary Lineker was "mistaken"