Gary Lineker Criticizes Suella Braverman's 'Not English' Comments

Gary Lineker has criticized Suella Braverman, Reform UK's education spokesperson, for her assertion that she is not an English person, despite being born in Britain. Lineker stated on his podcast, 'The Rest Is Football,' that Braverman's comments are disheartening and indicative of a strategy to "divide and rule."

Braverman made her remarks on the BBC's Question Time, explaining that while born in London, her parents were immigrants from Asia. She identified herself as "British of Asian ethnicity" rather than English, citing her ancestry which traces back to India, Mauritius, and Kenya. A member of the Question Time audience subsequently accused Braverman of being "racist against herself" and reinforcing harmful arguments.

Lineker drew a parallel between Braverman's statements and a question posed to Germany football manager Jürgen Klopp, who was asked if his team was "not German enough" or "not white enough." Lineker quoted Klopp's response, which emphasized respecting individuals based on facts rather than unfounded opinions, and highlighted the inclusive nature of sports changing rooms where "everyone is respected."

"It's a scary time, I don't really want to move into politics because I'm always a bit nervous about talking about politics but when it shows itself in football like that…," Lineker said on the podcast. He elaborated on the harmony found in sports teams, where differences in religion, ethnicity, or skin color do not impede camaraderie, contrasting this with the divisive rhetoric employed by some politicians.

This is not the first time Lineker has clashed with Braverman. Three years prior, he compared her language concerning the UK government's immigration policies to that used in Nazi Germany. At that time, Lineker was temporarily removed from BBC air following his comments on social media about a Home Office video on Channel crossings, a decision that led to widespread protests and solidarity actions from other presenters before his reinstatement.