Gary Lineker Mocks His Inclusion On The Mail's 'Woke List'

Gary Lineker has mockingly welcomed his inclusion on The Mail on Sunday’s first ever “Woke List”.

The newspaper claimed the run-down highlighted celebrities who are “most high-profile in their awakedness to perceived injustices in society – but who have also been accused of having an exaggerated fixation with such issues”.

Others featured included Harry Potter actress Emma Watson, journalist Emily Maitlis and the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Lineker was included in part thanks to his criticism of the government’s plans to crack down on illegal immigration, which saw him being told to step back from hosting Match Of The Day in March.

Lineker commented on a video on Twitter put out by home secretary Suella Braverman, in which she unveiled government plans to stop migrant boats crossing the Channel.

He tweeted: “Good heavens, this is beyond awful.”

The former England striker then replied to a user who challenged him because it was “easy to pontificate when it doesn’t affect you”.

Lineker wrote: “There is no huge influx. We take far fewer refugees than other major European countries.

“This is just an immeasurably cruel policy directed at the most vulnerable people in language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s, and I’m out of order?”

According to the MoS, Lineker is the “mouthpiece of the metropolitan chattering classes – interpreting the term ‘commentator’ to sound off about everything from Brexit to climate change.”

It added: “As the BBC’s highest paid star (salary £1.35 million) he has likened the Tory government’s immigration policy to something out of Nazi Germany.”

But Lineker did not take it as the insult it was meant to be.

He tweeted: “Very honoured to be on such a list. Thank you to this normally unpleasant newspaper for showing a degree of kindness.”

Others took a similar line to the broadcaster.