Gary Lineker has today admitted he was ‘wrong’ about John Bercow after facing backlash for lavishing praise on the Speaker who he called ‘principled’ and a ‘difficult act to follow’.
The BBC football pundit made the comment in response to a Spectator article titled ‘Eight embarrassed Bercow backers’, which was shared by Andrew Neil on Twitter.
The story referenced a tweet made by Lineker in September 2019, praising Mr Bercow after he announced his intention to stand down as Commons Speaker.
He wrote at the time: ‘A principled man and a difficult act to follow. Well played, John Bercow.’
The latest comments come after an independent inquiry said that Mr Bercow, who switched allegiance from the Conservatives to Labour last year, would have been expelled from the House if he was still a sitting MP after upholding 21 separate allegations, branding him a ‘serial bully’.
Lineker has faced criticism for his previous tweet supporting Mr Bercow, with one social media user writing: ‘Yep, a principled man who has been found guilty of bullying and banned from Parliament for life.
‘Lineker proving to be a poor judge of character.’
Another wrote: ‘John Bercow suspended for being a bully. Is that the same John Bercow who Gary Lineker said was a principled man and a difficult act to follow?’
