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BBC Trust chairman Lord Patten stands down BBC Trust chairman Lord Patten stands down
(about 2 hours later)
BBC Trust chairman Lord Patten is to stand down with immediate effect following major heart surgery. Lord Patten's controversial tenure as chairman of the BBC's governing body has come to an unexpected halt after he announced that he would stand down immediately following major heart surgery.
Patten, who had already said that he will not seek re-election when his term comes to an end next year, will be replaced by vice-chairman Diane Coyle until a successor is found. He leaves the £110,000-a-year job after three turbulent years in which the BBC was hit by the fallout from the Jimmy Savile sexual abuse allegations, and with ministers having to appoint a successor before the general election.
Patten said that that he underwent a combination of bypass surgery and angioplasty and that there has been no permanent damage to his heart. The Conservative peer will be replaced temporarily by the vice-chairwoman, Diane Coyle, with former Sony boss Sir Howard Stringer amongst those tipped to succeed him permanently.
"On the advice of my doctors, however, and having consulted my family and friends, I have concluded that I cannot continue to work at the same full pace as I have done to date," Patten said. The new chairman will have the task of steering the BBC through the general election – and possibly the Scottish referendum – as well as lead negotiations to renew the BBC's royal charter and licence fee.
"On this basis I have decided with great regret to step down from much the most demanding of my roles – that of chairman of the BBC Trust." In his resignation statement, Patten, 69, revealed that he underwent a combination of bypass surgery and angioplasty in April and that there had been no permanent damage to his heart.
Patten said that the position of chairman "requires and has received from me 100% commitment, and had been my priority at all times". "On the advice of my doctors, however, and having consulted my family and friends, I have concluded that I cannot continue to work at the same full pace as I have done to date," he said. "On this basis I have decided with great regret to step down from much the most demanding of my roles – that of chairman of the BBC Trust."
"It would not be fair to my family to continue as before and equally it would not be fair to the BBC and those it serves not to be able to give that commitment which the role demands," he said. The former Conservative cabinet minister was viewed by the then culture secretary, Jeremy Hunt, as the ideal candidate to introduce stronger governance of the BBC than his predecessor, Sir Michael Lyons, who was accused of being too cosy with the corporation's top executives. His conservative politics matched the coalition's lead party – but his falling out with the News Corporation boss, Rupert Murdoch, during his time as governor of Hong Kong was felt to ensure he remained independent of commercial media pressures.
The 69-year-old, who received sustained criticism over the Jimmy Savile scandal and executive payoffs, said he has written to the culture secretary Sajid Javid tendering his resignation. However Patten's tenure has been punctuated by heavy criticism. The first appointment he made, that of George Entwistle as director general, only lasted 54 days as he struggled to contend with the Savile revelations, and the BBC's reporting of paedophile allegations mistakenly directed at Lord McAlpine.
"It falls to the government to identify a successor," he said. Broadcast sources said Stringer was well-placed to step in as chairman because he had been appointed as a BBC non-executive director in December. Other contendors include Dame Marjorie Scardino, the former chief executive of the Financial Times's owner, Pearson; Channel 4's chairman, Lord Burns; Sir Richard Lambert, the former head of the CBI and a former editor of the Financial Times; and Lord Myners, the former City minister who recently quit the board of the ailing Co-operative Group.
Patten admitted that while the BBC is not "perfect" he said that, like the NHS, it is a "huge national asset which is part of the everyday fabric of our lives". With the heated debate about the BBC's royal charter likely to gain momentum next year, ahead of its renewal by the end of 2017, and a general election next May, Patten had previously admitted that his planned departure in April 2015 was not ideal.
"I have had no reason to doubt that the leaders of all main political parties support the role it plays at the centre of our public realm," he said. "When in due course the future of the BBC is subject to further discussion at charter review time, I hope to say more on the issue." But he said the position of chairman "requires and has received from me 100% commitment, and had been my priority at all times". He said that it would not be fair to his family to continue as before.
The BBC director general, Tony Hall, said: "I have enjoyed working with Chris over the last year; he is a staunch believer in the BBC and he has brought his vast experience to the role of chairman of the BBC Trust. He has steered the BBC through some of its most difficult days. In undertaking this role he brought unrivalled experience, wisdom, and an overwhelming desire to ensure that the BBC remains the best public service broadcaster in the world." But, while conceding that the BBC was not perfect, Patten argued that, like the NHS, it was a "huge national asset which is part of the everyday fabric of our lives".
As BBC Trust chairman, Patten earned a salary of £110,000 for working three to four days a week. He promised to continue to follow the affairs of the broadcaster. "I have had no reason to doubt that the leaders of all main political parties support the role it plays at the centre of our public realm," he said. "When in due course the future of the BBC is subject to further discussion at charter review time, I hope to say more on the issue."
Patten's earlier-than-expected departure makes for less of a headache for the corporation and the government. Patten's second appointment as director general, Tony Hall, praised Patten for being "a staunch believer" in the BBC, and said he had steered the broadcaster "through some of its most difficult days".
With the heated debate about the BBC's royal charter likely to gain significant momentum next year, ahead of renewal by the end of 2017, and a general election next May, Patten has previously admitted that his planned departure in April 2015 was "not ideal". "It is with regret that the government accepts your resignation," said the culture secretary, Sajid Javid, in direct response to Patten's resignation letter. "You have also embraced the challenges that have confronted the BBC, putting in place improvements to governance and building a stronger executive team, helping the BBC to move forward with confidence. Throughout, you have shown an unfettered personal commitment to securing the best outcome for the public."
Contenders for the job include Sir Howard Stringer, the former Sony boss appointed as a BBC non-executive director in December; Marjorie Scardino, the former chief executive of Financial Times owner Pearson; ex-Channel 4 chairman Lord Burns; Sir Richard Lambert, the former head of the CBI and a former editor of the Financial Times; and Lord Myners, the former City minister who recently quit the board of the ailing Co-operative Group. Javid skirted any mention of recent BBC scandals, instead focusing on thanking Patten for steering the BBC Trust "through some great moments for the BBC, including coverage of the Olympics, and continuing to deliver high quality original programming that is exported around the world".
In the last hunt for a BBC Trust chairman recruitment company Egon Zehnder was hired to assist in the search for suitable candidates. But one long-standing critic, the Conservative MP Rob Wilson, said Patten's reign had again proved that the BBC Trust model of governance had failed to hold management to account and "lacked credibility and democratic legitimacy from the public who pay for the licence fee".
After a DCMS appointments panel has gone through its selection process the culture secretary, Sajid Javid, will recommend one candidate – or possibly two – to the prime minister, who will make the final decision on who gets the job, although technically it is the Queen who make the appointment. After an appointments panel from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport has gone through its selection process, Javid will recommend one candidate – or possibly two – to the prime minister, who will make the final decision on who gets the job, although technically it is the Queen who makes the appointment.
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