Defence secretary Grant Shapps warned Gary Linker to “stick to football” after the Match of the Day host criticised the government’s Rwnda policy.
Former England footballer Lineker is among a group of celebrities who have signed a letter calling for the Government to scrap its Rwanda scheme and for political leaders to come up with a “fair new plan for refugees”.
The high-profile signatories, which also include Succession star Brian Cox, branded Britain’s refugee system “ever-more uncaring, chaotic and costly”, and said asylum policies are not working.
Football pundit Lineker, 63, has previously been at the centre of a BBC impartiality row after he voiced criticism of a Government Bill on the treatment of asylum seekers earlier this year.
