Is Gary Lineker inviting a migrant to live in his house?
EX-FOOTBALLER Gary Lineker said he would open his Surrey home to welcome a migrant to live.
The Match of the Day host, 59, made the announcement after he was accused by a Tory MP of ";virtue signalling" over the migrant crisis and challenged to offer his townhouse to refugees.
Is Gary Lineker inviting a migrant to live in his house?
Lineker put his hand up to temporary house a migrant entering the UK and has been in talks with charity Refugees at Home.
The ex-England striker told the : "My kids are all grown up so I’ve got plenty of room so if I can help on a temporary basis then I’m more than happy to do so. Why not?"
He also tweeted: "Providing a new start to those who have fled their homes represents the best of Britain's values.
"As we know refugees have always helped to keep our communities safe and make our society stronger. They even brought us fish & chips."
The BBC host admits he has no idea who will be staying with him and what country they are from.
He began campaigning for refugees after the death of Aylan Kurdi - a Syrian child who drowned near Greece in 2015.
And news of a Sudanese man dying while attempting to cross the Channel, prompted Lineker to take action, saying "it just struck me as so intolerably sad".
He added: “Imagine if it was London that was being bombed and we had to flee somewhere and nobody would accept you and nobody would want us and everyone would hate you.”
How big is Gary Lineker's house?
Lineker's £4m spacious Surrey mansion boasts five bedrooms.
His four sons - aged in their 20s - do not all live at home.
The Match of the Day host is said to be worth more than £30million.
What is Refugees at Home?
Refugees at Home is a UK charity which connects those with a spare room in their home to refugees and asylum seekers in need of somewhere to stay.
The scheme helps find temporary accommodation for those in need.
So far it has been responsible for placing 2,248 people with a total of 170,404 placement nights.
Have migrants died trying to cross the Channel?
Yes. Many make the perilous journey for a better life in the UK.
Nearly 5,000 reached UK shores in 2020 by crossing the Channel in small boats and many more have attempted the journey.
Many of the migrants come from Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and countries in Africa, fleeing poverty, persecution or war.
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In August, a Sudanese boy of 16 drowned trying to paddle across the Channel in a “toy” inflatable and by using shovels as oars in a perilous overnight attempt to reach Britain from France.
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A 48-year-old Iraqi man was also found dead in Belgian waters after he tried to swim to the UK using plastic bottles as a makeshift life-jacket.
On September 2, a record 409 migrants crossed the Channel.
