Former England striker, Gary Lineker is partnering with charity Refugees at Home to house a refugee in his Surrey home.

The news came to light during a Twitter exchange the 59-year-old had with Conservative MP Lee Anderson who accused Lineker of “virtue signalling” for expressing empathy for migrants crossing the Channel, Anderson then suggested the pundit house “the next boat of illegal immigrants”.

The BBC pundit responded with a screenshot of the email confirmation from Refugees at Home and said: “Not yet.”  

Lineker has been critical of the government’s response to migrants attempting to cross the Channel, last month describing it as “heartless and completely without empathy”.

Refugees at Home in confirming Gary’s offer said: “We are so grateful for all the host applications that we receive, but are particularly delighted when people with such a high profile sign up to host.”

‘’We have no idea yet who will be staying with him or where they have come from. Gary Lineker has signed up to house a refugee and is reportedly due to welcome his guest in a few weeks’ time’’.

The former Everton and Tottenham Hotspur striker told the Daily Mirror: “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?”