Conservative MP challenges Lineker to stand against him

A CONSERVATIVE MP has challenged Gary Lineker to stand against him at the next general election as he accused the Match of the Day host of “virtue signalling”.

Jonathan Gullis, who represents Stoke-on-trent North, clashed with the outspoken presenter on social media last month about the Government’s flagship Rwanda policy.

When Mr Gullis suggested that he had breached BBC impartiality rules by signing an open letter opposing the deportation scheme, Lineker replied: “Jonathan hasn’t read the new guidelines … or, should I say, had someone read them to him?”

Samir Shah, the new chairman of the corporation, said that this tweet appeared to “breach particular guidelines” that mean while Lineker can continue to share his views as a freelance presenter, he should not endorse or attack parties or criticise individual politicians.

On Sky News, Mr Gullis said: “Gary’s constantly trying to get lots of likes on Twitter, or X as it’s now called. I think Gary needs to spend less time virtue signalling and more time talking about football, which he’s actually very good at.”

Lineker, who is the BBC’S highestpaid presenter on a salary of £1.35 million, briefly stepped back from presenting Match of the Day in March last year after comparing words about migration used by Suella Braverman, the home secretary at the time, with the language of Nazi Germany.

He has insisted that he will continue to share his political views on his X account and last year made further criticisms of Mrs Braverman after her description of weekly pro-palestine protests in London as “hate marches”.

Mr Gullis, a former education minister and a prominent member of the New Conservatives caucus of Rightwing backbench Tory MPS, claimed he would “absolutely” beat Lineker at an election, adding: “Let the public decide.”

Lineker has also repeatedly called for a ceasefire in Gaza in the wake of the Oct 7 terrorist attacks on Israel by Hamas and the subsequent Israeli military bombardment of Palestine.

Stoke-on-trent is one of about three dozen constituencies in the “Red Wall”, made up of seats in former Labour heartlands that flipped to the Conservatives – many for the first time in decades – at the 2019 election.