The BBC has reportedly had a “frank conversation” with former footballer and Match of the Day presenter, Gary Lineker, after his comments regarding the UK’s current asylum policy.
Following the latest policy push from the Home Office as the government department looks to further crackdown on small boat crossings in the English Channel, Lineker took to social media to share his dismay at their latest measures.
Reacting to the video of Home Secretary Suella Braverman declaring “enough is enough” and that the UK’s asylum policy on migrants attempting to cross the Channel must now ramp up, the ex-England star simply wrote: “Good heavens, this is beyond awful”.
Although he received a raft of support from a large section of social media, many others took issue with the TV personality’s outspoken stance, arguing that he failed to remain impartial as a BBC employee.
Now, the BBC itself has insisted that the 62-year-old has now been “spoken to frankly” following his remarks, stressing the organisation’s impartiality guidelines and his responsibilities as a broadcaster.
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Lineker is no stranger to sharing his thoughts and opinions on social media and while the quote tweet of the video itself might not have escalated to this stage, it was the subsequent discussion that has caused controversy.
Responding to another user who labelled him “bang out of order”, Lineker responded by stating that the UK takes in “far fewer refugees than other major European countries” and went on to compare the government’s language as “not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s” when the Nazis were in power.
There is no huge influx. We take far fewer refugees than other major European countries. This is just an immeasurably cruel policy directed at the most vulnerable people in language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s, and I’m out of order?
For context, the government outlined their latest plans to effectively ban anyone arriving via an “illegal route” from claiming asylum in the UK on Tuesday.
Essentially, anyone found to have entered the country illegally, regardless of the circumstances (i.e. fleeing war, poverty, etc.) will be blocked from returning or claiming British citizenship in the future.
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The measure is part of an attempt to address the increase in the number of people arriving in the UK via Channel crossings each year — around 300 in 2018 to more than 45,000 in 2022, which is still significantly less than most other European countries.
Nevertheless, despite the backlash from Braverman, the BBC and many online, Lineker has since responded by doubling down in his humanitarian sentiment.
He went on to say, “I have never known such love and support in my life than I’m getting this morning”, adding that he will “continue to try and speak up for those poor souls that no voice”.
I have never known such love and support in my life than I’m getting this morning (England World Cup goals aside, possibly). I want to thank each and every one of you. It means a lot. I’ll continue to try and speak up for those poor souls that have no voice. Cheers all. 👊🏻
Council prioritises support for those ‘most in need’ in Manchester’s budget for the year
Emily Sergeant
Support for those ‘most in need’ has been prioritised in Manchester’s budget for the year.
Manchester City Council outlined its spending plans to deliver services, make lives better, and ultimately ‘improve the city’ throughout this year and into the next, with the allocation of the £894 million revenue budget highlighting the main priorities, as well as the demands on services that councils are seeing nationwide.
Councils in Greater Manchester remain under ‘significant financial pressure’ as they grapple with the difficult legacy of 14 years of national Government cuts to budgets, with Manchester itself being one of the areas hardest hit.
However, there has been improved funding for 2025/26 under the new Government, and Manchester has actually received one of the biggest increases in the country.
We’ve set our budget for 2025 to 26.
It’s good news for high streets city-wide.
From transforming Wythenshawe Civic Centre to brilliant new opportunities north of the city from Victoria to Holt Town, Manchester’s neighbourhoods are on the up.
— Manchester City Council (@ManCityCouncil) March 3, 2025
According to the Council, the 2025/26 budget prioritises ‘supporting those most in need’ with a significant spend on children and adults social services, helping residents out of poverty, and helping with the cost of living crisis.
Other plans forming part of this year’s local budget includes reducing homelessness and building new homes that are ‘genuinely affordable’.
Protecting Manchester’s libraries and leisure centres, investing in the borough’s 148 parks and green spaces, and restoring local neighbourhoods and high streets are also included.
This morning, we set our budget for 2025 to 26.
Every pound goes into making residents’ lives better.
To round it off, the Council is allocating an extra £5 million to tackle fly tipping, clean up the streets, and make sure the city is ‘clean, green, and tidy’.
“Our top priority is making sure that everything we do works towards making our city, and the lives of our residents, better,” commented Cllr Bev Craig, who is the leader of Manchester City Council, as the budget was announced last week.
“We’re pleased to be able to set a budget which continues to work hard for the people of Manchester -not just delivering the essential functions which they expect but also investing in making lives better and improving the city.”
Featured Image – Manchester City Council
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One of the 2025 Oscar winners was a favourite at a recent film festival in Manchester
Danny Jones
It’s not often we get to say that Greater Manchester can lay any sort of claim to Oscars fame, but once in a while it happens and in this case, we’re only a few degrees of separation away from the latest Academy Award-winning film thanks to a recent film festival.
Being most recently hosted in Manchester once again, the 2024 edition of the UK Jewish Film Festival saw a number of shorts, student films and indie projects associated with the religion spotlighted – one of which just won not one but two bits of bronze.
Picking up not only the award for this year’s award for ‘Best Original Screenplay’ for the film itself but with Succession favourite and Home Alone child star, Kieran Culkin’s role winning him ‘Best Supporting Actor’, the much-celebrated A Real Pain has now won an Oscar.
But the part of all this that we’re especially happy about is that one of the first times it was seen in the UK happened right here in Manchester city centre late last year.
This year’s ‘Best Original Screenplay’ award winner at the Oscars, just a few months after screening in Manchester. Have you seen it yet?
The now Oscar-winning picture, which just so happens to be the second original feature film from Jesse Eisenberg (Social Network, Zombieland, Justice League), has been delighting audiences ever since its debut at Sundance in January 2024 and went on to premiere at several international film festivals.
However, the second time it was screened here in Britain prior to its official UK release nearly a full 12 months later (8 Jan 2025) at the UK Jewish Film Festival, was in 0161, returning for another consecutive year across multiple Greater Manchester venues.
Without giving away too much about the plot itself, the synopsis of the film reads as follows: “Mismatched cousins reunite for a tour through Poland to honour their beloved grandmother, but their old tensions resurface against the backdrop of their family history.”
Shown to us Mancs for the first time at Cineworld Didsbury on Thursday, 17 November last year, you won’t be surprised to hear it was one of the most popular picks of this festival too.
UK Jewish Film Festival is coming to Manchester! 🤩
Check out some of the amazing films that we'll be screening in Manchester.
1. A Real Pain 🚆 2. The Performance 🕺 3. British-Jewish Life On Film: Manchester ✡️ 4. Golda's War Diaries 🇮🇱
A Real Pain has been largely described as a buddy comedy and a road trip movie by lots of critics but there’s also tonnes of drama and serious subject matter that it gets stuck into.
Touching not only the obvious themes of Judaism and Zionism but also family, the Holocaust specifically and theology in general, the film has gone down as a deeply important piece of cinema for a whole community and plenty of people beyond it.
Admittedly, the Greater Manchester connection to the film might only be a slight one but given its new Oscars fame and how well-reviewed the film has been ever since we saw it at the UK Jewish Film (UJFF) Festival, we’re absolutely jumping on the bandwagon and we’re glad to keep supporting events like this.
Make sure you check out the UJFF the next time it comes to our neck of the woods. Applications to enter a film into the 2025 festival are now open.
Side note: it also led to arguably one of the best acceptance speeches in years:
Kieran Culkin’s acceptance speech for his first-ever #Oscar
“[My wife] said we can have 4 children when I win an Oscar… let’s get cracking with these kids!”
Danny Jones -
8th March 2023 
