THE BBC's new boss is prepared to sack presenters who are deemed to breach impartiality rules on social media.

Director general Tim Davie said the broadcaster will soon publish updated guidelines, including rules which would allow the BBC to suspend employees' Twitter accounts.

He spoke to MPs on the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) select committee, answering questions on a number of issues facing the BBC.

He said: "We are going to be publishing in the next few weeks, and this is imminent, clear social media guidelines, and they will cover both news and current affairs, and beyond news and current affairs. We will have, within those guidelines, the enforcement policies will be very clear.

"We will be able to take disciplinary action. We will be able to take people off Twitter. I know people want to see hard action on this."

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He added: "If they want to work for the BBC, I can ask people, you would suspend their Twitter account, absolutely."

Pressed on what action could be taken if people don’t follow the guidelines, he stated: "I am prepared to take the appropriate disciplinary action, all the way to termination.”

Addressing a question on impartiality, Davie said his "key concerns were not historical issues in terms of left or right politics" but were focussed on "audiences and audience values".

The general director insisted it was vital that the BBC was not associated with "one particular point of view or perspective on life".

Davie then commented on sports presenter and pundit Gary Lineker, who it was recently revealed has just signed a new five-year contract with the broadcaster with a 23% pay cut – from £1.75 million to around £1.35m.

He told MPs: "I would note that Gary Lineker has actually been very clear in his statements recently, saying 'I understand I have a responsibility while working at the BBC'.

"I am now the director general so I am running the show and in my view party political statements are not the right thing to be asking if they are a part of an impartial news organisation. I mean, we will come back with social media guidelines to make clear where the lines are.

"If someone is the face of the BBC I think entering into party politics seems to be not the right place to be and I've been very clear on that."

The corporation boss faced further questions about the proposed decriminalisation of non-payment of the licence fee.

Davie said it was "a bit early for us to make assumptions about what the Government will or won't do".

He added that the BBC's position was "crystal clear on this", stating that "this system is logically hard to beat".

He said: "If you are a law-abiding, paying customer and licence fee payer, what I am trying to do is get you the most value for money, and the decriminalisation proposal, frankly in my mind, just doesn't pass the logic test."