Alex Scott pulls out of Football Focus as fallout from Gary Lineker’s BBC suspension deepens – live reaction

BBC football presenter and former England player Alex Scott has said she will not be presenting Football Focus on Saturday, amid reports the BBC has pulled the show.

In a tweet, she said:

I made a decision last night that even though I love my show and we have had an incredible week winning an SJA for football focus that it doesn’t feel right for me to go ahead with the show today.. Hopefully I will be back in the chair next week.

Kelly Somers also said she would not be hosting Football Focus.

She tweeted: “Just to confirm I won’t be on BBC television today.”

The move comes after after Gary Lineker was suspended on Friday from the BBC for breaching impartiality guidelines after criticising the government’s asylum policies.

Match of the Day, meanwhile, will be broadcast without presenters, pundits or its usual commentators this weekend.

In a dramatic and unexpected escalation of a crisis that has been brewing all week, the corporation took the decision to remove its highest-paid presenter from its flagship football show after he was criticised by Tory MPs and the rightwing media.

His suspension immediately led to displays of solidarity from Lineker’s co-hosts Ian Wright and Alan Shearer, who publicly announced that they would not be turning up to present Saturday’s show.

We’ll bring you the latest reaction and developments on the ongoing fallout from Lineker’s suspension.