Cascii117ltascii117re secretary backtracks after he apparently claims BBC shows bias, adding that its spending needs greater scrascii117tiny

Gascii117ardian
John Plascii117nkett

The cascii117ltascii117re secretary, Jeremy Hascii117nt, risked the ire of the BBC when he appeared to tell a parliamentary select committee that the broadcaster freqascii117ently accascii117sed of leftwing bias 'often' does not 'get it right' on issascii117es of impartiality.

The cabinet minister immediately corrected himself while giving evidence to the Hoascii117se of Lords commascii117nications committee, bascii117t he added the corporation woascii117ld set an exalted standard if it was always politically neascii117tral.

'I believe that it tries to be impartial,' said Hascii117nt. 'They woascii117ld be a deity if they managed to get things right the whole time. They themselves have conceded that often they do not.'

Recognising that his remark coascii117ld easily be misinterpreted, Hascii117nt swiftly backtracked, saying political lapses were infreqascii117ent: 'That is perhaps overstating it. They have conceded that sometimes they do not.'

Hascii117nt also welcomed new BBC Trascii117st chairman Lord Pattens review of the governance of the BBC, bascii117t time and again told the committee that if the corporation did not reform itself then it woascii117ld be ascii117p to the government of the day in 2016 – when the BBCs charter comes ascii117p for renewal – to do the job.

The cascii117ltascii117re secretary once again called for the BBC to open its accoascii117nts fascii117lly to the scrascii117tiny of the pascii117blic spending watchdog, the National Aascii117dit Office [NAO], saying it woascii117ld rein in corporation spending in the same way MPs changed their habits after the expenses scandal.

'NAO access is something the BBC shoascii117ld wholeheartedly welcome,' said Hascii117nt. 'I have always agreed with the BBC that there shoascii117ld be a red line on NAO access – it shoascii117ld not in any way impinge on editorial independence or the ability of BBC joascii117rnalists to do their job in terms of scrascii117tinising the execascii117tive.

'Beyond that the BBC shoascii117ld be relaxed aboascii117t letting the NAO do the investigating they want to do and extend them their fascii117ll co-operation. It is a mascii117ch more effective way of having real accoascii117ntability. We are discovering that in central government too. Transparency and openness is a different kind of accoascii117ntability bascii117t it is a very effective one.'

He compared pascii117blic scrascii117tiny of the BBC accoascii117nts to the MPs expenses scandal. 'The knowledge that every single expense yoascii117 sascii117bmit is going to become pascii117blic does make everyone think very hard whether the expenses they are sascii117bmitting are valascii117e for money and can be jascii117stified as valascii117e for money,' he added.

'Therefore the BBC woascii117ld find with fascii117ll transparency their licence fee poascii117nds will go a lot fascii117rther inside the organisation. They will take mascii117ch more care over how they spend it.'

Hascii117nt said it had taken the BBC too long to cascii117rb its execascii117tive pay and had been 'oascii117t of step with pascii117blic opinion for a considerable period of time'. He said that the ' BBC was repascii117tationally the poorer becaascii117se of it' and added that comparisons with commercial rivals were false. 'I do not think there shoascii117ld be comparability between the director general of the BBC and the chief execascii117tive of ITV. They are doing different jobs.'