So now we know: Gary Lineker is set to leave the BBC altogether — not just Match of the Day, but all football coverage, including the 2026 World Cup.
Officially, we’re told it is fallout from a social media post in which he shared an illustration about Zionism that included a rat — a symbol with historical anti-Semitic associations.
Lineker apologised swiftly, said he hadn’t known the image’s background, deleted the post, and reiterated that he would never knowingly share anything anti-Semitic.
But that wasn’t enough.
BBC bosses have reportedly judged his position “untenable”.
And by next weekend, it seems, he’s done.
Let’s be honest: this is the Establishment seizing its opportunity to get rid of him — and trying to pretend it’s about a single mistake.
But the real story, as regular readers of Vox Political will know, is much deeper.
Thanks to incredible supporters, we hit our £50-this-month donation goal with half the month still to go. That means another month of research, reporting, and political truth-telling — made possible by you.
But why stop there? Every extra pound helps power more investigations, more videos, and more impact.
If you haven’t donated yet — or want to chip in again — help us build momentum for the next big target: £75.
If you value fearless political journalism that holds the powerful to account, please chip in today. Even £2 helps keep Vox Political running strong.
👉 Support us here: https://ko-fi.com/voxpolitical
This has been coming for a long time
Lineker’s political awakening, at least on the public stage, dates back to October 2016.
He called out racist treatment of young refugees entering the UK.
The Sun tried to get him sacked. The Mail tried to smear him with a false story about an in-flight luxury scandal. Neither worked — then.
In 2020, he backed Marcus Rashford against poverty-shaming media hit jobs.
In 2023, he compared Suella Braverman’s rhetoric on asylum-seekers to that of 1930s Nazi Germany — an entirely valid historical comparison, though one that infuriated Tories and embarrassed the BBC.
He was pulled from Match of the Day, and the BBC lied about it, saying he was “stepping back.”
In truth, it was a forced removal — until a mass walkout by co-hosts forced the BBC to backtrack.
In November 2023, Lineker shared a video from journalist Owen Jones featuring an Israeli Holocaust scholar describing the attack on Gaza as a “textbook genocide.”
The backlash came swiftly — not for Jones, but for Lineker.
It’s a familiar pattern: the public figure sharing an inconvenient truth becomes the focus of the outrage, not the truth itself.
In January 2024, he retweeted a call for Israel to be banned from international sport — a mirroring of sanctions placed on Russia after its invasion of Ukraine. The context? More than 100,000 Palestinians dead, many of them children.
Lineker deleted the post — likely due to the flood of threats — but made his position crystal clear: “I am not the victim here… the levels of attack are extraordinary. How could it be controversial to want peace?”
Then, in May 2024, Lineker gave an emotional interview expressing horror at the slaughter of Palestinian children, again affirming the same humanitarian stance he has held for nearly a decade.
Six months later, in November 2024, the BBC announced he would not return to Match of the Day.
While still employed by the Corporation for other footballing duties, his symbolic central role — the longest-standing host in MOTD history — was ended.
No official reason was given. But the timing speaks volumes.
Lineker has never made anti-Semitic comments.
What he has done is condemn state violence, especially when it’s ignored or excused by the powerful.
And he has repeatedly made the crucial distinction between criticising the Israeli government and attacking Jewish people.
But the BBC’s politically aligned executives and former Tory operatives have been gunning for him for years.
Now they’ve found a pretext.
Buy Cruel Britannia in print here. Buy the Cruel Britannia ebook here. Or just click on the image!
The rat emoji was a mistake — but not a crime
The image of the rat was wrong to use in a social media message, and Lineker said so. But if we’re going to discuss BBC “standards,” let’s be clear: this isn’t about the emoji. This is about control.
Lineker, by sheer force of public profile, challenged the fiction that the BBC is “neutral” — and he consistently embarrassed the BBC hierarchy by showing them up as cowards when it came to speaking truth to power.
If this were about social media conduct, then where were the consequences for BBC chairmen with links to political parties? For senior presenters who write for the right-wing press? For executives who’ve openly hobnobbed with government ministers?
The rules are selectively enforced.
Lineker’s real crime was consistency — standing up for refugees, the poor, and now Palestinians, no matter how much heat it brought him.
Get my free guide: “10 Political Lies You Were Sold This Decade” — just subscribe to our email list here:
👉 https://voxpoliticalonline.com
“You can’t be a presenter and a social media activist” — why not?
The above was the verdict from former BBC Sport boss Roger Mosey today (May 19, 2025).
But let’s flip the question: if Lineker had spent the last five years tweeting in support of Brexit, or defending Netanyahu, or parroting Tory immigration policy, would we even be having this conversation?
Would the BBC be rushing him out the door?
Or would he be getting a knighthood?
This isn’t about impartiality. It’s about ideology. And it’s about power — who gets to speak, and who gets silenced.
Thanks to incredible supporters, we hit our £50-this-month donation goal with half the month still to go. That means another month of research, reporting, and political truth-telling — made possible by you.
But why stop there? Every extra pound helps power more investigations, more videos, and more impact.
If you haven’t donated yet — or want to chip in again — help us build momentum for the next big target: £75.
If you value fearless political journalism that holds the powerful to account, please chip in today. Even £2 helps keep Vox Political running strong.
👉 Support us here: https://ko-fi.com/voxpolitical
Let’s say it clearly
Gary Lineker was pushed out of the BBC because he consistently used his platform to advocate for justice, even when it was politically inconvenient.
Because he refused to join the chorus of silence over Gaza.
Because he made people in high places uncomfortable.
And now, after years of failed attempts to muzzle him, the Establishment has finally struck the blow it has been aiming for.
But if they think they’ve silenced him, they’re wrong.
Lineker himself has said the next stage of his career “won’t be more telly”.
It will be podcasts — and, let us hope, continued outspoken advocacy for those who don’t have a voice.
He may be off the BBC airwaves. But this story isn’t over.
Not by a long shot.
Vox Political needs your help!
If you want to support this site
(but don’t want to give your money to advertisers)
you can make a one-off donation here:
Be among the first to know what’s going on! Here are the ways to manage it:
1) Register with us by clicking on ‘Subscribe’ (bottom right of the home page). You can then receive notifications of every new article that is posted here.
2) Follow VP on Twitter @VoxPolitical
3) Like the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/VoxPolitical/
Join the Vox Political Facebook page.
4) You could even make Vox Political your homepage at http://voxpoliticalonline.com
5) Follow Vox Political writer Mike Sivier on BlueSky
6) Join the MeWe page at https://mewe.com/p-front/voxpolitical
7) Feel free to comment!
And do share with your family and friends – so they don’t miss out!
If you have appreciated this article, don’t forget to share it using the buttons at the bottom of this page. Politics is about everybody – so let’s try to get everybody involved!
Buy Vox Political books so we can continue
fighting for the facts.
Cruel Britannia is available
in either print or eBook format here:
The Livingstone Presumption is available
in either print or eBook format here:
Health Warning: Government! is now available
in either print or eBook format here:
The first collection, Strong Words and Hard Times,
is still available in either print or eBook format here:
Gary Lineker may be out of the BBC – and let’s not pretend its due to a ‘rat emoji’
So now we know: Gary Lineker is set to leave the BBC altogether — not just Match of the Day, but all football coverage, including the 2026 World Cup.
Officially, we’re told it is fallout from a social media post in which he shared an illustration about Zionism that included a rat — a symbol with historical anti-Semitic associations.
Lineker apologised swiftly, said he hadn’t known the image’s background, deleted the post, and reiterated that he would never knowingly share anything anti-Semitic.
But that wasn’t enough.
BBC bosses have reportedly judged his position “untenable”.
And by next weekend, it seems, he’s done.
Let’s be honest: this is the Establishment seizing its opportunity to get rid of him — and trying to pretend it’s about a single mistake.
But the real story, as regular readers of Vox Political will know, is much deeper.
Thanks to incredible supporters, we hit our £50-this-month donation goal with half the month still to go. That means another month of research, reporting, and political truth-telling — made possible by you.
But why stop there? Every extra pound helps power more investigations, more videos, and more impact.
If you haven’t donated yet — or want to chip in again — help us build momentum for the next big target: £75.
If you value fearless political journalism that holds the powerful to account, please chip in today. Even £2 helps keep Vox Political running strong.
👉 Support us here: https://ko-fi.com/voxpolitical
This has been coming for a long time
Lineker’s political awakening, at least on the public stage, dates back to October 2016.
He called out racist treatment of young refugees entering the UK.
The Sun tried to get him sacked. The Mail tried to smear him with a false story about an in-flight luxury scandal. Neither worked — then.
In 2020, he backed Marcus Rashford against poverty-shaming media hit jobs.
In 2023, he compared Suella Braverman’s rhetoric on asylum-seekers to that of 1930s Nazi Germany — an entirely valid historical comparison, though one that infuriated Tories and embarrassed the BBC.
He was pulled from Match of the Day, and the BBC lied about it, saying he was “stepping back.”
In truth, it was a forced removal — until a mass walkout by co-hosts forced the BBC to backtrack.
In November 2023, Lineker shared a video from journalist Owen Jones featuring an Israeli Holocaust scholar describing the attack on Gaza as a “textbook genocide.”
The backlash came swiftly — not for Jones, but for Lineker.
It’s a familiar pattern: the public figure sharing an inconvenient truth becomes the focus of the outrage, not the truth itself.
In January 2024, he retweeted a call for Israel to be banned from international sport — a mirroring of sanctions placed on Russia after its invasion of Ukraine. The context? More than 100,000 Palestinians dead, many of them children.
Lineker deleted the post — likely due to the flood of threats — but made his position crystal clear: “I am not the victim here… the levels of attack are extraordinary. How could it be controversial to want peace?”
Then, in May 2024, Lineker gave an emotional interview expressing horror at the slaughter of Palestinian children, again affirming the same humanitarian stance he has held for nearly a decade.
Six months later, in November 2024, the BBC announced he would not return to Match of the Day.
While still employed by the Corporation for other footballing duties, his symbolic central role — the longest-standing host in MOTD history — was ended.
No official reason was given. But the timing speaks volumes.
Lineker has never made anti-Semitic comments.
What he has done is condemn state violence, especially when it’s ignored or excused by the powerful.
And he has repeatedly made the crucial distinction between criticising the Israeli government and attacking Jewish people.
But the BBC’s politically aligned executives and former Tory operatives have been gunning for him for years.
Now they’ve found a pretext.
Buy Cruel Britannia in print here. Buy the Cruel Britannia ebook here. Or just click on the image!
The rat emoji was a mistake — but not a crime
The image of the rat was wrong to use in a social media message, and Lineker said so. But if we’re going to discuss BBC “standards,” let’s be clear: this isn’t about the emoji. This is about control.
Lineker, by sheer force of public profile, challenged the fiction that the BBC is “neutral” — and he consistently embarrassed the BBC hierarchy by showing them up as cowards when it came to speaking truth to power.
If this were about social media conduct, then where were the consequences for BBC chairmen with links to political parties? For senior presenters who write for the right-wing press? For executives who’ve openly hobnobbed with government ministers?
The rules are selectively enforced.
Lineker’s real crime was consistency — standing up for refugees, the poor, and now Palestinians, no matter how much heat it brought him.
Get my free guide: “10 Political Lies You Were Sold This Decade” — just subscribe to our email list here:
👉 https://voxpoliticalonline.com
“You can’t be a presenter and a social media activist” — why not?
The above was the verdict from former BBC Sport boss Roger Mosey today (May 19, 2025).
But let’s flip the question: if Lineker had spent the last five years tweeting in support of Brexit, or defending Netanyahu, or parroting Tory immigration policy, would we even be having this conversation?
Would the BBC be rushing him out the door?
Or would he be getting a knighthood?
This isn’t about impartiality. It’s about ideology. And it’s about power — who gets to speak, and who gets silenced.
Thanks to incredible supporters, we hit our £50-this-month donation goal with half the month still to go. That means another month of research, reporting, and political truth-telling — made possible by you.
But why stop there? Every extra pound helps power more investigations, more videos, and more impact.
If you haven’t donated yet — or want to chip in again — help us build momentum for the next big target: £75.
If you value fearless political journalism that holds the powerful to account, please chip in today. Even £2 helps keep Vox Political running strong.
👉 Support us here: https://ko-fi.com/voxpolitical
Let’s say it clearly
Gary Lineker was pushed out of the BBC because he consistently used his platform to advocate for justice, even when it was politically inconvenient.
Because he refused to join the chorus of silence over Gaza.
Because he made people in high places uncomfortable.
And now, after years of failed attempts to muzzle him, the Establishment has finally struck the blow it has been aiming for.
But if they think they’ve silenced him, they’re wrong.
Lineker himself has said the next stage of his career “won’t be more telly”.
It will be podcasts — and, let us hope, continued outspoken advocacy for those who don’t have a voice.
He may be off the BBC airwaves. But this story isn’t over.
Not by a long shot.
Vox Political needs your help!
If you want to support this site
(but don’t want to give your money to advertisers)
you can make a one-off donation here:
Be among the first to know what’s going on! Here are the ways to manage it:
1) Register with us by clicking on ‘Subscribe’ (bottom right of the home page). You can then receive notifications of every new article that is posted here.
2) Follow VP on Twitter @VoxPolitical
3) Like the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/VoxPolitical/
Join the Vox Political Facebook page.
4) You could even make Vox Political your homepage at http://voxpoliticalonline.com
5) Follow Vox Political writer Mike Sivier on BlueSky
6) Join the MeWe page at https://mewe.com/p-front/voxpolitical
7) Feel free to comment!
And do share with your family and friends – so they don’t miss out!
If you have appreciated this article, don’t forget to share it using the buttons at the bottom of this page. Politics is about everybody – so let’s try to get everybody involved!
Buy Vox Political books so we can continue
fighting for the facts.
Cruel Britannia is available
in either print or eBook format here:
The Livingstone Presumption is available
in either print or eBook format here:
Health Warning: Government! is now available
in either print or eBook format here:
The first collection, Strong Words and Hard Times,
is still available in either print or eBook format here:
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