Gary Lineker, the former England soccer player and now a media celebrity, will step down from his role as a presenter for the BBC after facing criticism for reposting an Instagram story about Zionism which featured a picture of a rat.

His years as a BBC host end in circumstances nobody would have wanted, but some might have predicted.

Soccer pundit Gary Lineker will leave the BBC sooner than planned following an antisemitism row, the corporation has confirmed. Last week, Lineker shared a social media post about Zionism containing an illustration of a rat,