Match of the Day host Gary Lineker has praised RMT General Secretary Mick Lynch after his performance on Question Time amid the tension regarding the ongoing rail strikes.
The United Kingdom is hit with greatly-reduced services, causing mass disruption, as the country deals with the largest strike by rail workers for 30 years. Issues over pay and redundancies have seen employees take a stand, with Lynch the face of it all as he takes a lead on their concerns in pursuit of a settlement.
He has engaged with several media outlets to defend the RMT's actions and was alongside MPs on BBC's Question Time. Conservative politician Rachel Maclean was present as Lynch took aim at Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Lineker was more than impressed with his display.
He said on social media: "Whatever your view on the strike, one thing we can surely agree on (we won’t, obviously) is that Mick Lynch is bloody good." Comedians and actors have also backed the RMT chief as the country becomes increasingly divided on the issue.
Lynch slammed the Conservative leader, stating: “His main problem is that he is unembarrassable. No matter what he does he is not embarrassed by his failures, by the image he gives off and by his behaviour.” He also added: “Ultimately, the Tories will get rid of him before the ballot box gets rid of him because that's what is in their interest.”
The varying parties in the rail strike negotiation have continued to deflect blame onto one another with regards to the collapsing of talks. However, unions have stated that strike action may continue with a further walk-out planned for Saturday.
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Meanwhile, Lineker also aired his opinion, once again, on Lionel Messi, whom he has often referred to as the best footballer of his generation. The former England striker has continually backed the Argentine and paid tribute to him on his 35th birthday, posting a series of images with the caption: "Happy Birthday to the greatest player of his time."
When pushed on whether he thought Messi was the best player in the history of the game, he responded: "In my opinion, yes, Messi is the GOAT, but it’s difficult and unfair to compare players of different generations. [Diego] Maradona was extraordinary and I didn’t see enough of Pele, [Ferenc] Puskas or even [George] Best to judge. But Messi is comfortably the best of his time."
Messi has claimed a record seven Ballon d'Ors - two more than rival Cristiano Ronaldo - with whom he has dominated the award. Last summer, the forward also claimed his first international honours as Argentina claimed the Copa America with victory over Brazil.
