UK

BBC boss Tim Davie denies climbdown over Lineker impartiality row

The BBC's new director-general, Tim Davie, has denied claims he has had a “climbdown” over the impartiality row involving presenter Gary Lineker.

The corporation was accused of bias by the Prime Minister's former chief adviser, Dominic Cummings, for its handling of the controversy over Lineker's comments about government immigration policy.

Mr Davie said the BBC had “moved on” from the row and that it was now “absolutely focused” on delivering impartial news.

Speaking to the BBC's Andrew Marr Show, he said: “This is a BBC that's going to be impartial and I'm absolutely focused on that.

“We've moved on from that particular issue, we've taken it very seriously, we've looked at it, we've learned from it, we've listened to all the concerns, we've made changes and now we're absolutely focused on delivering impartial news.

He added that the BBC was “absolutely determined to be impartial”.

Mr Davie's comments come after Mr Cummings said the BBC had been “scared” of Lineker, and claimed the presenter had been given preferential treatment over his comments.

Lineker had accused the government of “foolishness” over its immigration policy, prompting calls for him to be suspended or fired.

Mr Davie denied the claims and said the BBC had acted in an “appropriate” way.

He said the corporation had dealt with the situation “very seriously” and taken “appropriate action”.

The BBC boss also defended the corporation's decision to allow Lineker to remain on air, saying it had been “absolutely right” to do so.

The BBC has since introduced new impartiality rules which will see its journalists and presenters face tougher scrutiny over their comments.

In the wake of the row with the government, the BBC has also announced plans to introduce a new “impartiality board” to oversee the corporation's output.

The board will be made up of independent members from outside the BBC and will be responsible for making sure the broadcaster meets its impartiality requirements.

The new rules come after a series of rows between the government and the BBC over its political coverage.

The BBC had been accused of giving too much airtime to the government's views and not giving a fair hearing to its opponents.

The new impartiality board is expected to help ensure the BBC is seen to be impartial in its coverage of political issues.

BBC boss Tim Davie has denied claims he has had a “climbdown” over the impartiality row involving presenter Gary Lineker. Mr Davie said the BBC had “moved on” from the row, was “absolutely determined to be impartial” and had taken “appropriate action” in the matter. He also defended the corporation's decision to allow Lineker to remain on air, saying it had been “absolutely right” to do so. The BBC has since introduced new impartiality rules and a new “impartiality board” to oversee the corporation's output. The board will be made up of independent members from outside the BBC and will be responsible for making sure the broadcaster meets its impartiality requirements.