NEWSNIGHT policy editor Lewis Goodall was told by BBC bosses to delete a post he made defending a former colleague from “unhinged, simply misogynist” attacks, he has said.

Former Newsnight deputy editor and HuffPost UK editor Jess Brammar is set to become executive news editor at the broadcaster.

During the hiring process, the Financial Times reported that BBC non-executive director and former comms chief for Theresa May Robbie Gibb had tried to block Brammar’s appointment.

Gibb reportedly texted the BBC director for news and current affairs saying that the BBC “cannot make this appointment” because the Government’s “fragile trust in the BBC will be shattered” if it did, it was reported.

The National:

Tory Leader of the House Jacob Rees-Mogg (above) also waded into the row, criticising the BBC’s approach to new hires. “When it's the Left, it's fine, when it's from the Right that's beyond the pale,” he told ConservativeHome.

"And then the BBC management goes off and starts suggesting it should hire someone from a Left-wing outlet. That damages the whole perception of independence and impartiality at the BBC. They really do damage themselves."

Conservative criticism of Brammar is thought to largely stem from her criticism of Brexit and Boris Johnson.

This morning as a fresh story criticising Brammar popped up in the Sunday papers, with a source telling the Mail: “Robbie wasn’t alone in raising concerns about Ms Brammar’s impartiality.”

Goodall tweeted that the story included “unhinged, simply misogynist attacks” on his former Newsnight colleague.

“The campaign against her has become so disturbing it needs to be called out,” he wrote.

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Hours later, the post was removed and a new tweet read: “For your information I’ve been asked by BBC management to delete the tweet with regards to the Mail’s articles about Jess Brammar as they say it’s an internal matter for the BBC.”

The news sparked backlash on social media. The SNP’s head of broadcast media wrote that BBC bosses were “not helping themselves by demanding that one of their finest journalists … delete this tweet”.

“Lewis is only sticking up for a BBC colleague and challenging the nasty right-wing briefings against her,” he added.

Professor Tanja Bueltmann of the University of Strathclyde rejected the BBC claim that the row was part of an “internal matter”, adding that Goodall being told to remove his post “makes the whole situation all the more disturbing”.

Alastair Campbell also weighed in with heavy criticism of the broadcaster. “It is all part of a pattern of BBC management to pander to the Government and their culture war cheerleaders,” he claimed. “Instead of pandering they should be standing up for their own independence.”

The BBC told The National it would not be commenting on the matter.

READ MORE: Robbie Gibb must be sacked over 'Conservative cronyism', Labour say

The row comes after Goodall’s colleague, Newsnight presenter Emily Maitlis, was told off by BBC bosses for retweeting a post by Piers Morgan which was critical of the UK Government.

The tweet read: "If failing to quarantine properly is punishable by 10yrs in prison, what is the punishment for failing to properly protect the country from a pandemic?"

Maitlis deleted the post within 10 minutes – but the BBC’s editorial complaints department upheld the complaint.

They said in a statement: "The retweeted material was clearly controversial, implying sharp criticism of the Government and there was nothing in the surrounding context to make clear that Ms Maitlis was not endorsing it."