“NICK Robinson has cost the BBC a lot of money,” the Tory Culture Secretary has reportedly claimed, after the journalist told the Prime Minister to “stop talking”.
The Times reported that MP Nadine Dorries is furious after Robinson made the comment to Boris Johnson during an interview.
Johnson was being asked questions on the Today show on BBC Radio 4 by Robinson during the Conservative Party conference this month.
The BBC journalist interjected during the interview after what he reportedly felt was an evasive response by the Prime Minister on fuel and food shortages.
READ MORE: Laura Kuenssberg is rumoured to step down – but who could replace her?
One Cabinet minister reportedly said: “You would never have got Tony Blair being spoken to like that. It was completely unacceptable.”
It comes as Dorries issued the BBC with an ultimatum, telling bosses at the BBC she would not talk with them about the licence fee settlement until after they put forward reforms to deal with what she perceives to be bias and elitism.
The BBC director-general Tim Davie is now set to make a “significant intervention” on impartiality in the coming weeks.
After Dorries made her demands to the BBC, the Times reported a source familiar with the discussion as saying: “They were both stunned and gulped down their tea.
“They thought she was just going to roll over.”
Dorries has insisted the corporation deliver plans to address impartiality, “group think” and “moral superiority” within the BBC.
The Times reported an ally of the minister as saying: “She is fed up of seeing Newsnight and the Today programme leading their bulletins on the stories which make the front page of The Guardian. She thinks there should be much more transparency.”
Some at the BBC have been angered by the treatment from the Tory government, with one insider reportedly saying: “This is a new secretary of state who perhaps hasn’t realised that the constitutional independence of the BBC means that even at a time — in fact, especially at a time — when the licence fee is being negotiated, it is not the job of party politicians to act like a judge on Strictly, giving marks for the quality of interviews.”
READ MORE: Gerry Hassan: The change BBC must make if it’s to serve Scotland properly
The UK Government and the BBC are currently in negotiations for the licence fee, which is expected to result in a real-terms pay cut to the annual sum.
The Culture Secretary is also taking aim at the broadcaster over diversity, with the BBC accused of limiting working-class kids from TV careers due to “snooty” bosses.
A source close to the minister told The Times that while the BBC’s diversity strategy considered race and LGBT issues, it did not cover gender or background.
Both the BBC and Dorries declined to comment.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel