Sunak furious as Starmer mocks Tories as 'snowflakes' in row over Lineker's Nazi comments

Starmer said: “Last summer the Prime Minister claimed he wanted to protect free speech and put a stop to no platforming.

"So how concerned was he by last week’s campaign by Tory MPs to cancel a broadcaster?”

He later added: “The sight of them howling with rage over a tweet, signing letters in their dozens, desperately trying to cancel a football highlights show.

"That should have been laughable, instead it led to a farcical weekend with the national broadcaster being accused of dancing to the Government’s tune by its own employees.

“Rather than blame everyone else why doesn’t he take some responsibility, stand up to his snowflake MPs waging war on free speech?”

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak hit back: “Just the usual political opportunism from the leader of the Labour Party.

"I don’t know if he noticed, but actually first the shadow attorney general and then the shadow home secretary actually criticised the language that had been used in the tweet.

"But what a surprise he saw the chance to jump on a political bandwagon and changed his mind.”

Sunak added that he wouldn’t take “lectures” on cancel culture from the Labour leader.

The row erupted amid the continued fallout over a tweet sent by Lineker last week claiming that the language used by Home Secretary Suella Braverman was "not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s".

Dozens of Conservative MPs are thought to have written to the BBC Director-General demanding the sports presenter be taken off air for breaking impartiality rules.

Lineker was suspended pending a review of his social media usage, sparking chaos at the BBC as high profile presenters, pundits and staff walked out in solidarity with the former England footballer.

Addressing the matter in the Commons, Sunak added he was "very glad" the issues between Lineker and the BBC had been resolved and we can look forward to watching Match Of The Day again on our screens".