The BBC is desperately battling to save its reputation after being accused of caving in to Tory pressure over its suspension of Gary Lineker.
Last night weak Rishi Sunak tried to deflect blame after days of Conservative attacks on the Match of the Day host.
But the PM was accused of "hiding behind playground bullies of the Tory Party" after his MPs lined up to take swipes at the former England striker, who was branded a "whining baby" by one.
His suspension led to a mass walkout that left the flagship football show with no presenters or commentators, and forced other sports coverage to be scaled back this weekend.
Mr Lineker has been under attack by the Conservative hierarchy after saying the government's language around refugees is similar to that used in 1930s Germany.
The government was accused of "whingeing on about Gary Lineker" and deflecting away from huge issues facing the country, including the cost of living crisis.
It comes as the corporation chairman Richard Sharp is probed over reports he helped arrange an £800,000 loan for former PM Boris Johnson before being appointed.
And Labour MP Jess Phillips told Times Radio: "If Gary Lineker had tweeted 'stop the boats', he would still be on air tonight."
The Mirror has launched a petition calling for Lineker to be reinstated. More than 200,000 people have already joined us in demanding Lineker's return to Match of the Day.
Here we look at some of the Tories who have attacked Mr Lineker in recent days.
Suella Braverman
Home Secretary Suella Braverman branded the comparison with 1930s Germany "lazy and unhelpful".
Her remarks came just weeks after she refused to apologise to Holocaust survivor Joan Salter, who confronted her at a constituency event and told her: "When I hear you using words against refugees like 'swarms' and an 'invasion', I am reminded of the language used to dehumanise and justify the murder of my family and millions of others."
Ms Braverman said she found Mr Lineker's comments “offensive” as her husband is Jewish.
She told the BBC: “My children are therefore directly descendant from people who were murdered in gas chambers during the Holocaust.
“To kind of throw out those kind of flippant analogies diminishes the unspeakable tragedy that millions of people went through and I don’t think anything that is happening in the UK today can come close to what happened in the Holocaust.
“So I find it a lazy and unhelpful comparison to make.”
Penny Mordaunt
Leader of the House of Commons Ms Mordaunt accused Labour of "borrowing from the Gary Lineker playbook" as it tries to jump on opportunities like a "goal hanger" - a player who stays close to the goal waiting for a chance to score.
In response to a video of her making the comments in the chamber, England's fourth-highest goal scorer tweeted: "Thank you for mentioning me in your clumsy analogy.
"I’m just happy to have been better in the 6 yard box than you are at the dispatch box. Best wishes."
In the strange rant in the Commons, Ms Mordaunt said Labour was "a party of goal hangers and the occasional left-wing striker, hanging around the goal mouth, poised to seize any opportunities and take an easy shot - but that only works if the ball is in the right half".
She went on: "This country doesn't need goal hangers. It needs centre forwards. It needs people that put in the hard work, take tough decisions, grip a problem and work out how to solve it and create those opportunities and that is what we are doing."
"And it needs a team captain who knows his own mind, has a plan and what colour his football shirt is."
Lucy Frazer
Speaking in the Commons earlier on Thursday, Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer said it was important for the BBC to maintain impartiality if it is to "retain the trust of the public who pay the licence fee".
She added: "As somebody whose grandmother escaped Nazi Germany in the 1930s, I think it's really disappointing and inappropriate to compare government policy on immigration to events in Germany in the 1930s."
Ms Frazer added that she was "pleased" the BBC was speaking to Lineker "to remind him of his responsibilities in relation to social media".
James Cleverly
On Friday Foreign Secretary Mr Cleverly suggested the Match of the Day host studied "history books".
He told LBC radio: "There are some people desperate to gain attention by using deeply offensive and inappropriate language about this and I would gently suggest they use their history books a little bit more carefully."
Robert Jenrick
Immigration minister Mr Jenrick claimed it was time for Mr Lineker to be show the red card.
He told LBC on Wednesday: “It was very inappropriate.
“He should certainly be shown a red card. We are taking robust and fair measures on behalf of the British public.”
“It’s a shame he’s so out of step with British public opinion right now.”
Lee Anderson
Not unsurprisingly, Lee Anderson - who boycotted England's Euro 2020 campaign because players took the knee - has had plenty to say.
The outspoken free speech advocate posted on Twitter on Friday: "Both the BBC and Lineker are playing us for fools.
"You would think the Beeb is the official opposition in this country. I would imagine there are plenty of decent BBC staff who are quite angry about all this."
Jonathan Gullis
Red wall backbencher Jonathan Gullis is rarely one to hold back.
The former Schools Standards minister ranted on TalkTV: "It's so tiresome and dull to hear from the multi-million pound whining baby of the BBC yet again pontificating on Twitter rather than doing what he's paid to do, which is talk about football."
Sir John Whittingdale
Former Culture Secretary Sir John Whittingdale lead an attack on Mr Lineker in the Commons, asking the current incumbant Lucy Frazer: "Does she agree that the requirement to be politically impartial must cover all those who are presenters on the BBC, including the highest paid?
"While individual contracts are a matter for the BBC, will she confirm that the mid-term review will cover the issue of enforcement of this rule on freelancers as well as full time?"
Sir John later told BBC Radio 4's PM programme the presenter's suspension was "inevitable".
Nadine Dorries
Not unexpectedly, former Culture Secretary Ms Dorries isn't a fan of Mr Lineker.
She said on her show on TalkTV that there was a “line in the sand” he should not have crossed.
Ms Dorries continued: “The people who are paying Gary Lineker’s salary are licence fee payers and they do not all agree with Gary Lineker,” she said.
Tom Hunt
Tory MP Tom Hunt said Mr Lineker should not be allowed to use his platform to "promote his offensive and wrongheaded" views.
Mr Hunt told the i: “He cannot be allowed to continue using the platform largely provided to him by the BBC and therefore taxpayers’ money to promote his offensive and wrongheaded political views.
“I think we also deserve a full apology from Lineker … for the hurt caused by this ill-judged comparison.”
Craig Mackinlay
Backbencher Mr Mackinlay, who represents South Thanet, branded Mr Lineker's remarks "foul, ill-conceived and disgraceful".
He told The Telegraph: "Gary Lineker’s comments, likening our proposed robust yet fair new asylum policy which will save lives in the Channel, with the darkest period of human history founded on pure evil, is in itself foul, ill-conceived and disgraceful,"
Scott Benton
Blackpool South MP Scott Benton claimed that the presenter's position had become "untenable".
He said: "Lineker certainly chose the wrong flavour for his appalling comments.
"His position working for the BBC was completely untenable.
"He’s entitled to his views, like the rest of us, but he shouldn’t share them when working for a supposedly impartial organisation."
On Saturday night he was mocked for claiming the episode was the "best ever".
Brendan Clarke-Smith
Mr Clarke-Smith, Tory MP for Bassetlaw, blasted Mr Lineker for "spouting student union level politics".
The Red Wall backbencher added: "He's laughing at everybody."
Marco Longhi
Dudley North MP Marco Longhi told the Daily Express that Mr Lineker's remarks about Nazi Germany were "extremely unwise".
He continued: "They are offensive, not just to a government trying to save lives by deterring people from the dangerous crossings, but even more so to the families and survivors of that terribly unique time in world history.”
What Rishi Sunak said last night
"As Prime Minister, I have to do what I believe is right, respecting that not everyone will always agree. That is why I have been unequivocal in my approach to stopping the boats.
"Gary Lineker was a great footballer and is a talented presenter. I hope that the current situation between Gary Lineker and the BBC can be resolved in a timely manner, but it is rightly a matter for them, not the government.
"While that process is ongoing, it is important that we maintain perspective, particularly given the seriousness of the issue at hand. Forty-five thousand people crossed the channel illegally last year, many of whom have been exploited or trafficked by criminal gangs, putting their lives in danger.
“We need to break this cycle of misery once and for all and the policy we set out this week I believe aims to do just that. It is not only the fair and moral thing to do, it is also the compassionate thing to do.
“There are no easy answers to solving this problem, but I believe leadership is about taking the tough decisions to fix problems. I know not everyone will always agree, but I do believe this is fair and right.”
Labour's response
Lucy Powell MP, Labour’s Shadow DCMS Secretary, said: “As usual, Rishi Sunak is hiding behind the playground bullies of the Tory Party. Rather than do anything about it, he offers weasel words and tries desperately to duck any responsibility.
“The Prime Minister’s claim that this disruption to the BBC’s football coverage was nothing to do with the government might have credibility if Tory MPs hadn’t spent more time talking about Gary Lineker than, say, the cost of living crisis, mortgages rising, 7 million waiting on NHS waiting lists, criminals going unpunished or any of their countless failures. It’s the Tory way. To distract and inflame, rather than to fix their own mess.
“It’s just depressing the BBC gave in to this Tory bullying, but the prime minister’s crocodile tears now he can see the Tories have got this so badly wrong fool nobody.”
