Now Lineker taunts the BBC

The Independent's Morning Headlines email [View online]( March 15, 2023 [Morning Headlines]( 1 / [Lineker row goes to heart of trust in BBC, says Ofcom chief]( The [BBC](’s reputation is on the line in the “difficult” process of coming up with new social media guidelines amid the [Gary Lineker]( controversy, the head of [Ofcom]( has said. Melanie Dawes, chief executive of the media regulator, said the impartiality row goes “straight to the heart of the BBC’s wider reputation beyond its news and current affairs coverage”. The Ofcom boss said the corporation would have to weigh freedom of expression with impartiality when reviewing guidelines following the “difficult episode” with Lineker. The Match of The Day presenter was taken off air after a tweet comparing Tory asylum rhetoric to 1930s Germany sparked an impartiality row and a boycott by several regular pundits and commentators. On Monday, BBC director-general [Tim Davie]( apologised for “the potential confusion caused by the grey areas” of social media guidance and confirmed a review was being undertaken., Ms Dawes told the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) select committee that she welcomed a review of the guidelines to “see whether they’re still right in a world of increasing use of social media”.   2 /[Jeremy Hunt bids to head off critics with ‘Budget for growth’]( Chancellor will pledge to make the UK a science and tech ‘superpower’ 3 / [Green goals at risk unless more firms plan for net zero]( Exclusive: Major private firms say failure to extend transition planning threatens UK’s ambition to be world’s first net zero-aligned financial centre 4 / [Sunak warned of Tory small boats revolt as plan likened to Trump’s ‘caging of children’]( Tory moderates discussing how to amend bill to prevent child detention 5 / [How one woman’s grooming gang lies drove three men to attempt suicide]( Eleanor Williams is jailed after making false claims of being raped and trafficked   The Big Question Is Gary Lineker taunting the BBC with his new ‘free speech’ Twitter profile picture? [Gary Lineker]( appears to be taunting the BBC with a new [Twitter]( profile picture promoting free speech just days after his extraordinary row with bosses over impartiality. The BBC’s weekend football programming [effectively collapsed]( after the star presenter was suspended from Match of the Day on Friday over his criticism of government policy on [asylum](-seekers, prompting pundits, presenters and commentators to withdraw in solidarity. Lineker [was reinstated on Monday]( and made no apology for [his tweet]( comparing the government’s language to 1930s Germany – and immediately tweeting again about the plight of refugees as he announced his return. he corporation’s director-general Tim Davie apologised for the disruption caused by the row and said he recognised “the potential confusion caused by the grey areas of the BBC’s social media guidance”. He said the presenter “will abide by the editorial guidelines” until an [independent review of the BBC’s social media policy is complete](. [For the full story click here >](   Enjoying this newsletter? Unlock unlimited, ad-free reading on the website and in The Independent app when you subscribe – plus, benefit from our [welcome offer when you join today](. Watch/ [What to expect from Jeremy Hunt’s spring Budget](   NUMBER OF THE DAY 30 – A multibillion-pound expansion of free childcare for one and two-year-olds is set to be unveiled in Wednesday’s [Budget](. The plan is set to include 30 hours a week of childcare for parents in [England]( with children in that age group. 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