In a controversial and watershed moment for the BBC, Match of the Day is set to go ahead without any presenters for the first time ever as pundits boycott the show in solidarity with Gary Lineker.
Gary Lineker was asked to take a step back from presenting the historic and hugely popular football analysis show after the BBC had a ‘frank’ discussion with him following a number of his tweets which criticised the Home Office’s new asylum plans on social media.
Having been part of the programme for more than 30 years either as a pundit or as lead anchor, a position which he has held since 1999, Lineker‘s suspension from the show has upset and troubled many, including the majority of his regular colleagues.
Reacting to the news that their friend and peer would not be presenting Saturday’s show, former footballer and regular co-host Ian Wright was the first to inform the BBC that he wouldn’t be appearing as a pundit either.
Everybody knows what Match of the Day means to me, but I’ve told the BBC I won’t be doing it tomorrow. Solidarity.
And he was by no means the last, as not long after, fellow Match of the Day veteran, not to mention part of the usual and iconic Saturday night trio, Alan Shearer also informed the corporation and his followers on social media that he would not be appearing either.
Moreover, another MotD regular, Jermaine Jenas, reinforced the message of solidarity on Twitter: “Been on air with The One Show. I wasn’t down to be doing Match of the Day tomorrow, but if I was I would of said no and stood with my fellow pundits and Gary Lineker”.
The same goes for former Manchester City star turned pundit, Micah Richards, who insisted that were he scheduled to appear, he would have made the same decision to boycott.
I have informed the BBC that I won’t be appearing on MOTD tomorrow night.
This comes after Home Secretary Suella Braverman said she was “disappointed” by Lineker’s remarks after he stated that the government’s targeting of migrants and refugees is “immeasurably cruel” and that their continued choice of language was “not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s”.
As a result, BBC stressed their impartiality guidelines and while several took issue with Lineker sharing his political opinions on his Twitter profile, it seems plenty more have come out to defend him for speaking out against the Conservative government and say that his punishment is cause for concern.
With most of the regular punditry team having come out to assure that they would not be presenting after Lineker was stripped as host, the question then turned to who else could appear, and many quickly jumped to BBC’s Football Focus host, Alex Scott. She quickly put a stop to that talk.
The 62-year-old had already issued a statement saying he had “never known such love and support in [his] life” following the initial wave of people showing their solidarity with the ex-England international.
However, after learning that Wright, Shearer, Jenas; Scott and Richards had all bowed out of appearing too, Lineker is said to have been left ‘in tears’ as he broke down in overwhelming emotion following the unified response from media personnel and fans alike.
As for the BBC, they have said MotD will go ahead without presenters for the first time since 1964 and focus simply on video highlights of the action from this weekend’s round of Premier League fixtures. Meanwhile, viewing figures are expected to plummet as the BBC and the government face revolt for trying to censor opposition, free speech and any form of criticism — even if the information is accurate.
A thought provoking thread that’s worth a couple of minutes of your time: https://t.co/NckBd2wEIe
was factually accurate. 1. UK has fewer refugees than other European countries. FACT. 2. Language in the debate is redolent of the language used by politicians and media in 30s Germany. FACT. The role of the media is to seek out truth. Facts are quite important to that 2/3
Labour: “The BBC’s cowardly decision to take Gary Lineker off air is an assault on free speech in the face of political pressure. Tory politicians lobbying to get people sacked for disagreeing with Government policies should be laughed at, not pandered to. BBC should rethink.”
More than 100 ‘unsafe’ counterfeit Labubus seized in Oldham
Daisy Jackson
More than 100 counterfeit Labubus and accessories have been seized in Oldham, the council has announced.
The Labubu dolls – a plush collectible with giant smiles and bunny ears – have been seized because they are fake, and unsafe.
The haul of 104 Labubus has been given a street value of between £800 and £1000 – but if they were the real deal, they’d be worth more than three times as much.
The poorly-made figures were being sold for a fraction of the price of a real Labubu, which are manufactured by Chinese company Pop Mart (it’s set to open its second Manchester store in the Trafford Centre next week).
Oldham Council’s Trading Standards team said it seized the counterfeit Labubus from local businesses and found that they were unsafe and poorly made.
Officers raised concerns about the safety of the dolls, which had small parts such as eyes, hands and feet broke off easily, creating a choking hazard.
What a genuine Labubu should look like. Credit: The Hoot Leeds
They were also missing legally required safety marks such as the CE or UKCA labels, and lacked the name and address of a UK supplier, which is another legal requirement.
Councillor Elaine Taylor, Oldham Council’s Cabinet Member for Housing and Licensing, said: “Oldham Trading Standards carries out regular checks to help keep unsafe products off the shelves. In this case, these counterfeit toys failed safety standards and have now been removed from sale.
“We know it can be tempting to buy toys that look like a bargain, but parents need to be extra careful. Fake toys like these may be cheaper, but they can put children in real danger if they’re not made to strict safety standards.
“If anyone has concerns about toys they’ve purchased, or if they see unsafe products on sale locally, we’d encourage them to get in touch with Trading Standards through the Consumer Helpline on 0808 223 1133.”
Council publishes list of central Manchester roads set to be resurfaced this summer
Emily Sergeant
A list of roads in Manchester that are set to be resurfaced before the summer is out has been published.
Manchester City Council recently asked residents in the region what their priorities were for their community and what issues they wanted to see tackled – and for many, the answer was the quality of the road surfaces.
Since then, the Council says it has been ‘engaged’ in a long-running programme of improvement works throughout the borough.
Now, with just over a month of the summer season left, it has been confirmed that some vital resurfacing works are due to start over the coming weeks in north and central Manchester, bringing a range of improvements to key district roads along with it.
First up, from Saturday 9 August, Hollinwood Avenue is to be resurfaced.
The Council has published a list of Manchester roads that are set to be resurfaced this summer / Credit: MJ Richardson (via Geograph)
Anticipated to take six weeks to complete, this work will be carried out during weekend closures from 8am-5pm, with the road remaining open during the working week.
The closure area will be between Greengates Roundabout and the Oldham boundary at Owler Lane, and a signed diversion route will be in place while work is carried out, and access for residents will be maintained at all times.
Then, starting from Saturday 16 August, resurfacing works will begin on Moss Lane East, between Alexandra Road and Princess Road.
Work will take place between 7am and 5pm on weekdays, and 8am and 5pm on weekends, and during the works, the road will be completely closed – with a signed diversion route in place and access for residents maintained.
As always, disruption is expected and the public is encouraged to plan ahead / Credit: Mylo Kaye (via Unsplash)
These works are expected to take six weeks to complete, and as with all resurfacing projects, residents should expect some disruption and may need to plan ahead.
The Council is aiming to keep disruption to the public at a minimum, where possible.
“We know how important it is to our residents that key roads are well maintained, which is why were glad to be able to deliver this latest round of improvement works,” commented Councillor Tracey Rawlins, who is the Executive Member for Clean Air, Environment, and Transport at Manchester City Council.
“I’d like to thank people ahead of time for their patience during the course of these works and would advise them to check when closures will be in place and where the diversions are.”
You can find more information on the resurfacing works on the Council website here.
Danny Jones -
11th March 2023 
