Issue of desperate refugees should not be used as a political football, say Greens
11 March 2023
The Green Party is standing firmly with Gary Lineker over his suspension from Match of the Day.
At the party’s conference in Birmingham this afternoon [1] Co-leader Adrian Ramsay addressed sanctions placed on the football pundit for comments made on social media relating to the latest cruel Conservative asylum policy. He was met with rapturous applause from the conference floor.
Later, a motion in support of Lineker was passed by members.
Jack Lenox, Culture, Media and Sport spokesperson for the party said:
“The BBC’s decision to come down so hard on Gary Lineker over his tweets is indefensible. We wouldn’t have used exactly the same language as he did, but the point Lineker was making around the deliberately inhumane approach of Conservative asylum policy was entirely valid.
“We applaud him and the football community for standing together on this issue, showing teamwork and leadership on such a critical topic. Ironically, that’s something that’s severely lacking from our government.
“The deliberate stoking of this issue as part of an incessant Tory culture war also serves as a distraction from the urgent humanitarian crisis on our doorstep. The issue of desperate refugees should not be used as a political football.”
ENDS
Notes
1
The Green Party Spring conference is taking place in Birmingham from 11-12 March
For more information or to arrange an interview contact the press office on press@greenparty.org.uk or call 0203 691 9401