The BBC is damaging its reputation for impartiality by appointing too many people from the political left, Tory cabinet minister Jacob Rees-Mogg has claimed.
The leader of the Commons also complained that the corporation was unwilling to take on people from right-wing backgrounds – despite recent appointments of high-profile figures with links to the Conservative Party.
His comments follow a row over the appointment of Jess Brammar, a former Huff Post UK editor, as the BBC’s executive news editor.
Theresa May’s former communications chief Sir Robbie Gibb reportedly tried to block Ms Brammar’s appointment – leading to calls for him to be sacked from the BBC board.
In his podcast for the Conservative Home website, Mr Rees-Mogg said: “When did the BBC last hire somebody from Conservative Home to come and be their senior figure or from the Daily Telegraph?”
The cabinet minister also complained about Andrew Marr’s appointment to the BBC, having formally been editor of The Independent.
“I remember when they appointed Andrew Marr as their political editor, who was a polemicist for one of the left-wing newspapers, somebody said to them why hadn’t they appointed Boris Johnson or someone from the right,” he told the podcast.
“And, of course, they said, ‘We couldn’t possibly do that, it’s too controversial’.”
Mr Rees-Mogg said: “When it’s from the left it’s all right – but when it’s from the right that’s beyond the pale. I think the BBC does itself a lot of damage in this regard.”
The Commons leader added: “People like (political editor) Laura Kuenssberg make their professional reputations on being completely impartial.
“Then the BBC management goes off and starts suggesting it should hire someone from a left-wing outlet, and that damages the whole perception of independence and impartiality at the BBC.”
The BBC’s director general Tim Davie – appointed to the role last year – stood as a councillor for the Tories in Hammersmith in the 1990s, when he also spent a spell as the deputy chairman of the Hammersmith and Fulham Conservative party.
The BBC appointed Sir Robbie a non-executive director at the corporation in April, after his spell working for a Tory prime minister at No 10 between 2017 and 2019.
Labour called on BBC bosses to sack him from the board member after allegations emerged that he attempted to block Ms Brammar’s editorial appointment on political grounds.
Ms Brammar had challenged the government during her time as editor of Huff Post UK when Tory minister Kemi Badenoch launched a public attack on Twitter against then-Huff Post UK journalist Nadine White for asking questions about the vaccine rollout.
The episode was also highlighted earlier this year by Samuel Kasumu, a former No 10 adviser who resigned in April. He raised concerns about Ms Badenoch’s conduct over her tirade against Ms White, who is now race correspondent at The Independent.
