The BBC said it considered Lineker's "recent social media activity to be a breach of our guidelines".

It added he should "keep well away from taking sides on party political issues or political controversies".

The BBC asked Lineker to step back after "extensive discussions with Gary and his team in recent days".

It "decided that he will step back from presenting Match of the Day until we've got an agreed and clear position on his use of social media", the statement said.

It continued: "When it comes to leading our football and sports coverage, Gary is second to none.

"We have never said that Gary should be an opinion free zone, or that he can't have a view on issues that matter to him, but we have said that he should keep well away from taking sides on party political issues or political controversies.""

So he has not been "purged" in any fashion. This is per your own source. And even if he WERE actually purged at some point, it would still be a molehill. BBC can do whatever it wants to its presenters, including and especially to ones who publicly take political sides instead of staying neutral which was his grave sin. BBC is partially funded by the British government which means a presenter who takes one side in a political dispute could easily be seen as the government showing favoritism.