FORMER Tory minister Michael Gove has suggested that Piers Morgan should take over as the next director general of the BBC.
Gove, now the editor of the hard-right Spectator magazine, made the suggestion after calling for the next head of the broadcaster to be a journalist.
Tim Davie, who resigned as BBC director general amid a row over the editing of a speech by US president Donald Trump, was a former Pepsi executive and failed Tory council candidate, but had no experience as a reporter.
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Penning a suggestion for his replacement on social media, Gove wrote: “The next DG of the BBC should – ideally – be a journalist, preferably with experience as an editor, who has worked in broadcasting.
“Independent minded, certainly, but also sensitive to public concerns about ‘woke’ bias.
“So, with all due humility, why not @piersmorgan?”
Responding to Gove pitching him for the BBC role, Morgan posted simply an emoji of a face wearing a monocle.
Morgan was made editor of the News Of The World by Rupert Murdoch in 1994, and began editing The Mirror in 1995. He was sacked nine years later after publishing fake images of British soldiers abusing Iraqis.
During his tenure at The Mirror, Morgan was alleged to have published stories obtained through phone hacking. He has always denied any knowledge or involvement in the scandal, which led to the Leveson Inquiry into the UK media.
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He went into a career in television, presenting Good Morning Britain until 2021, when he quit following an on-air row with a colleague and an Ofcom probe prompted by remarks he made about Meghan Markle.
Morgan now presents for Murdoch’s TalkTV, which has moved to an online-only offering after tanking ratings.
Gove, after leaving Westminster following the 2024 General Election, was quickly handed his own radio show by the BBC entitled “Surviving Politics”.
He has previously stoked controversy after calling for the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) – which is widely accused of perpetrating genocide in Gaza – to be given the Nobel Peace Prize.
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