Gary Lineker tweet broke impartiality rules, says BBC complaints unit

Gary Lineker broke BBC impartiality rules in a tweet about the government in February, the corporation has ruled.

The Match of the Day host quoted a post about then-Foreign Secretary Liz Truss urging Premier League teams to boycott the Champions League final in Russia.

He added: "And her party will hand back their donations from Russian donors?"

The BBC's Executive Complaints Unit (ECU) has upheld a complaint and said Lineker's post "did not meet the BBC's editorial standards on impartiality".

The ruling has been discussed with the former footballer and BBC Sport managers, they said. Lineker has declined to comment.

The ECU said Lineker was "one of the BBC's highest profile stars" and, although not involved in journalism, does have an "additional responsibility" to adhere to the editorial guidelines.