No one I believe has any objection to free speech, however whether you're a freelancer or not when you work for the BBC you sign an agreement that you will not do anything inside or outside the BBC that may reflect upon its impartiality and because of his strong links with the BBC it is why it was deemed he had broken those rules. It was not the fact that he disagreed with Government policy it was the fact that he compared it to Nazism which in itself was an insult to the 6 million plus people who were murdered for no other reason that Hitler didn't like them.
To compare his remarks to those made by Lord Sugar, or the antics of Boris Johnson has not even a tenuous link to what Lineker inferred. As a Licence fee payer I personally do not want to hear some overpaid self opinionated person making statements which shows that he has no real grasp of history but which remarks may influence his followers who may even have less knowledge than he apparently has. A recent survey of young people showed that some thought Hitler was British and that Churchill was our enemy during WWII.
In Germany Lineker would be facing arrest for his remarks as it is an offence under Federal law to compare Nazism with any current situation within their borders.
Liniker's assertion that we take in less than any other country may or may not be factual, but he conveniently forgets that the UK is the most densely populated country per square mile than any other country in Europe and because of his privileged position engendered by his overpaid salary, partially and forcibly paid out of my State pension, he is not directly affected by shortage of housing, social services, transport or medical facilities no matter how many crocodile tears he may shed.