Gary Lineker must be impartial as he hosts ‘important’ show, says ex-BBC boss

Lord Birt, the former director-general of the BBC, has called for presenters such as Gary Lineker to abide by impartiality rules if they are “inextricably bound up with an important BBC programme”. Speaking before the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee, Lord Birt addressed the ongoing review of the BBC’s social media guidelines and stated that he hoped it would offer “crystal clarity” to employees about their responsibilities.