Labour’s Lucy Powell says BBC’s suspension of Gary Lineker like something from ‘Putin’s Russia’ – UK politics live

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The BBC UQ is now over. Although Julia Lopez, the culture minister, was doing her best to argue that it was for the BBC, not the government, to police what Gary Lineker says on Twitter, some Conservative MPs criticised the presenter more aggressively.

Paul Waugh from the i has some highlights.

And here is a clip of Sir John Hayes condemning Lineker and his colleagues. Hayes is chair of the Common Sense group of Tory MPs, which organised a letter saying Lineker should apologise “at the very least” for his tweet.

Chris Bryant (Lab) says he has been told that Rishi Sunak wants the inquiry into Richard Sharp, the BBC’s chairman (and Sunak’s former boss at Goldman Sachs), to be “kicked into the long grass”.

Lopez says that is not true. The inquiry is under the control of the government, she says.

Rob Butler (Con) says he used to work for the BBC. In the era of social media, impartiality is more important than ever, he says.

Bob Blackman (Con) says Gary Lineker has a duty to tweet information that is accurate. He claims Lineker did not do this in December in a tweet about the death of a Palestinian footballer claimed by Hamas as a martyr.

Lopez says she does not know about this case, but suggests it might be included in the BBC review of social media guidelines.

Jamie Stone (Lib Dem) says Lopez has said the government will not tell Richard Sharp to set down as BBC chair. But will she accept that if he stays in office that is not helping the reputation of the BBC.

Lopez says the circumstances of Sharp’s appointment are the subject of an investigation.

Lopez says there was “no pressure applied to the BBC by ministers” over Gary Lineker.

Sir Bill Cash (Con) says the BBC social media guidelines do not work. He says an adjudication body should be set up, alongside Ofcom, to consider complaints about it.

Lopez says he looks forward to engaging with Cash further on his ideas in this area.

Sammy Wilson (DUP) says people should no longer have to pay the licence fee. It is a “poll tax on propaganda”, he says.

Lopez says the government is concerned the licence fee is losing public support. It is considering how the BBC should be funded in the long term.

Andrew Percy (Con) says Lucy Powell should reflect on her comparision of the government to Putin’s regime. Putin is engaged in war crimes, he says. He says that was “beneath her”.

He also says Gary Lineker’s comparison of the government’s asylum language to Nazi language was disgraceful.

Lopez agrees on both points. Referring to what Powell said, she say that was a “disgraceful comparison to make”, and “way off the mark”.

In response to Lucy Powell, Julia Lopez said that Tim Davie, the BBC director general, said himself yesterday that it was not true to say that the corporation suspended Gary Lineker in response to political pressure.

Lucy Powell, the shadow culture secretary, is asking her supplementary question now.

She says ministers have got their “fingerprints all over” the BBC’s decision to suspend Gary Lineker.

She says the BBC capitulated to “a Tory cancel campaign” and took Gary Lineker off air. She goes on:

What does [Lopez] think it looks like to the outside world – that a much-loved sports presenter is taken off air for tweeting something that government doesn’t like. It sounds more like Putin’s Russia so me.

Powell says Richard Sharp, the BBC chairman, no longer has credibility.

And she urges Lopez to “call off the dogs” behind her who are attacking the BBC’s integrity.

UPDATE: Powell said:

Her government has pursued a deliberate strategy of undermining the BBC to keep it over a barrel to get themselves more coverage.

It was on full display overnight and I’m sure it will be on full display here today. Threaten the licence fee, cut its funding, undermine its credibility. All in pursuit in keeping their foot on the BBC’s throat.

In the Commons the HS2 UQ is now over, and Julia Lopez, a culture minister, is responding to the UQ on BBC impartiality.

She says the BBC’s first purpose is to provide accurate and impartial news to people.

The BBC is also independent, she says. That means the government has no say in how the BBC chooses to implement its impartiality obligations.

She says the regulator has accepted that implementing impartiality is challenging.

She says the BBC is respected around the world. No other country has anything like it. The government is clear it must emphasis accuracy, impartiality and diversity of views.

Nicola Sturgeon has announced that the Scottish government will set up a voluntary memorial book scheme for parents who want to commemorate the loss of a baby before 24 weeks. In a statement, the first minister said her personal experience of miscarriage had taught her how valuable this might be for some parents. She said:

The loss of a pregnancy or a baby is always painful. I have spoken in the past about my personal experience of miscarriage, and I know the sense of grief will stay with me and my husband forever. I also know that we would have drawn comfort at the time if there had been a way for us to mark the loss and formally recognise the child we were grieving.

Launching this memorial book with the National Records of Scotland will give parents an opportunity – if they wish it – to commemorate their loss with a physical record, and to have their child recognised.