Culture Secretary blasts BBC over ‘integrity and impartiality’

The Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden has released a furious statement regarding the BBC, which has warned that the Corporation is risking losing the public’s confidence after a series of controversies about political bias. Oliver Dowden has written an open letter to the BBC’s director-general Tony Hall to remind him that he must “uphold the highest standards in relation to integrity and impartiality.” The letter was sent as a result of a Panorama programme that was critical of the Government’s handling of Covid-19.

Following the airing of the Panorama programme, it was revealed that the medical professionals interviewed for the programme were Left-wing activists. This intervention, coming from a cabinet minister, is highly unusual but also comes after the BBC was made to apologise for the claims it published from the ‘director of an NHS trust’. The Corporation had to finally admit that the caller had not been in charge of a trust. 

The Relations between the current Government and the BBC have been strained since the Election. No 10 feels the BBC is guilty of persistent bias, this feeling is understood to date back to Andrew Neil criticising Boris Johnson for his refusal to be interviewed prior to December’s General election. Downing Street was boycotting  Radio 4’s Today programme until the Covid-19 crisis struck.

Mr Dowden’s letter says that whilst respecting the independence of the BBC, he hopes that Lord Hall “will agree that at a time of heightened risk of misinformation and disinformation, it is more important than ever that the BBC upholds the values and standards we all expect. The public should be able to turn to the BBC for transparent, unimpeachable, reliable news”.

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