Rishi Sunak has said his crackdown on Channel migrants remains the right thing to do as Gary Lineker's suspension forced Match of the Day to be a silent 20 minute programme.
Lineker was pictured at the King Power Stadium with a friend as boyhood club Leicester fell to defeat against Chelsea.A government source told the newspaper: "For millionaire TV presenters to patronise the British people and tell them what they should care about is a real insult."
BBC director general Tim Davie said he was sorry for the disruption to schedules - but that he would not resign.Programmes including Football Focus, Final Score and Fighting Talk did not air after a flurry of presenters and pundits pulled out in solidarity with suspended Gary Lineker. Sunday's Match of the Day 2 is also set to be axed as presenters, pundits and commentators said they would not take part while Lineker was off air.Former England striker Jermaine Defoe, who was booked to appear on the programme, tweeted on Saturday afternoon: "It's always such a privilege to work with BBC MOTD. But tomorrow I have taken the decision to stand down from my punditry duties.
Opposition politicians have lined up to criticise the corporation for the choice to withdraw Lineker from the air. But a source close to Lineker said he had not agreed to "step back" and was instead removed as he is "unwilling to apologise for his comments" on the government's controversial asylum policy.
"We understand their position and we have decided that the programme will focus on match action without studio presentation or punditry."In a statement released on Twitter, the six commentators set to cover Saturday's games said: "As commentators on MOTD, we have decided to step down from tomorrow night's broadcast.
The ex-England striker wrote: "There is no huge influx. We take far fewer refugees than other major European countries.
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