A BBC Newsnight guest tore Gary Lineker apart live on air after he joined more than 100 British-based millionaires calling on Andy Burnham to tax their wealth more. Mr Burnham has previously signalled his intention to overhaul the tax system to fund his policy ambitions as the new Prime Minister.
On Thursday (July 23), a group of UK-based billionaires, including the former Match of the Day host, signed a letter urging the new Labour leader to tax them higher, insisting: "We can afford it". The letter, organised by Patriotic Millionaires UK, says: "We want you to tax us. We can afford it. We're not talking about higher taxes on those who get up and go to work for their income every day, but on the very richest whose income is derived from the wealth they hold."
Newsnight segment sparks backlash
Newsnight, hosted by Victoria Derbyshire, welcomed former Conservative minister Gillian Keegan onto the late-night show to discuss the explosive letter. She began: "'Make us pay more tax'. That is a direct message from Gary Lineker and other 'moral' millionaires. Is that going to happen?"
The former Tory minister snapped back with: "He can pay more tax, nobody stops him paying more tax... so he should just get on with it and give the money to Andy Burnham."
Viewers react online
It didn't take long before viewers flocked to X - formerly known as Twitter - to share their thoughts on the segment online. One user penned: "Performatice as always. Somebody more noble might actually just send HMRC a quiet cheque or two... - Gary Lineker's got more front than Ethel Merriman..."
Another agreed: "Another hypocrite - wasn't he in dispute with HMRC once about paying tax he had evaded?" A third chimed in with: "Plus, didn't he spend a lot of money on a scheme which reduced his tax a few years back?"
Mr Burnham has previously declined to rule out a wealth tax, telling ex-footballer Lineker earlier this month that his government may "ask for a little more". There are several ways the government could introduce a wealth tax. The most commonly proposed scheme is a 2% levy on the assets of the richest people in the country, which experts claim could raise billions for the UK every year.
Lineker previously said: "Paying your fair share is a basic British value, but so many ordinary people are already paying more than they can afford. Our richest people can do more, and most want to." He added: "To live up to our national values, our new government must raise taxes on extreme levels of wealth for a fairer, better, more hopeful Britain."
In an interview earlier this month, Mr Burnham also suggested there is "some room" in the Labour manifesto for "movement on tax."
