BBC is f lunking the test on political bias

SO much for Tim Davie’s spirited promise to man the barricades against political bias at the BBC. Today, the barricades stand empty and the director-general’s credibility is in danger of suffering a shattering blow.

Yesterday he had a golden opportunity to restore trust in the corporation’s impartiality. But he flunked it.

There are growing fears he will let sanctimonious footballer turned TV pundit Gary Lineker get away with his repellent Twitter outburst comparing the Government’s policy for ending the small boats crisis to the evils of the Third Reich.

Nobody denies the presenter is entitled to his opinions, however offensive. But it is highly inappropriate for the broadcaster’s highest-paid star to spout off in such a politically partisan manner. If the BBC is not neutral, it is nothing.

With Lineker having been warned before about publicly airing his ultra-woke views, the corporation could have called his bluff and fired him. Or at the very least insisted that strict impartiality became a condition of his future employment.

But yesterday, as the controversy continued to rage, Mr Davie did what too many BBC bosses do: dithered and scurried for the bunker. To compound his humiliation, Lineker spent yesterday laughing in his employer’s face. He is making Mr Davie look spineless and foolish.

But perhaps there’s a reason why the corporation is so reluctant to stand up to its £1.35million man. Lineker’s metropolitan bien pensant worldview is shared overwhelmingly at Television Centre. Imagine if a presenter had taken to social media in support of the illegal migration crackdown. They’d have been out on their ear.

This unedifying episode reinforces how woefully detached the BBC remains from the real world, where most people – the ones who pay the licence fee – want stronger border controls.

If the corporation cannot guarantee political even-handedness, it can no longer justify being funded by the taxpayer.