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| BBC Trust's hunt for new chairman 'undermined by political meddling' | BBC Trust's hunt for new chairman 'undermined by political meddling' |
| (6 days later) | |
| Political meddling in the hunt for the next BBC Trust chairman is serving to undermine the corporation in advance of critical royal charter renewal negotiations, according to former culture secretaries Ben Bradshaw and Tessa Jowell. | Political meddling in the hunt for the next BBC Trust chairman is serving to undermine the corporation in advance of critical royal charter renewal negotiations, according to former culture secretaries Ben Bradshaw and Tessa Jowell. |
| Interviews for the £110,000-a-year job took place on Thursday and continue on Friday, but the shortlist of four or five does not appear to include any of a string of heavyweight figures considered to be prime contenders to take over from Lord Patten. | Interviews for the £110,000-a-year job took place on Thursday and continue on Friday, but the shortlist of four or five does not appear to include any of a string of heavyweight figures considered to be prime contenders to take over from Lord Patten. |
| Jowell argues that candidates have been put off by the intervention of David Cameron and George Osborne – their backing of Lord Coe, who pulled out earlier this week, has serious ramifications for the BBC, she says. | Jowell argues that candidates have been put off by the intervention of David Cameron and George Osborne – their backing of Lord Coe, who pulled out earlier this week, has serious ramifications for the BBC, she says. |
| "This meddling by the prime minister and George Osborne is a disgraceful assault on the independence of the BBC," said Jowell. "The behaviour of government ministers has made it an unappealing prospect for very high-calibre potential candidates. The BBC Trust needs the best person to chair it who can be confident they can set about the job unencumbered by political meddling. The degree of interference and partisanship seen so far could give no candidate that confidence." | "This meddling by the prime minister and George Osborne is a disgraceful assault on the independence of the BBC," said Jowell. "The behaviour of government ministers has made it an unappealing prospect for very high-calibre potential candidates. The BBC Trust needs the best person to chair it who can be confident they can set about the job unencumbered by political meddling. The degree of interference and partisanship seen so far could give no candidate that confidence." |
| She moved to defend the behaviour of Coe following the leak that he was being courted for the role, adding that he would have made a good chairman. | |
| "He is the person who emerges with integrity from this, he made it clear he would consider the role and he did," she said. "He will always be seen as a cross-party candidate having been appointed by the Labour government to chair the London Olympic Games organising committee." | |
| Conservative peer Lady Wheatcroft, a former editor of the Sunday Telegraph and the European edition of the Wall Street Journal, has emerged as the latest high-profile figure to be ruled out. | Conservative peer Lady Wheatcroft, a former editor of the Sunday Telegraph and the European edition of the Wall Street Journal, has emerged as the latest high-profile figure to be ruled out. |
| The BBC's royal charter runs until the end of 2016, with most observers believing that the BBC Trust is likely to be scrapped. | The BBC's royal charter runs until the end of 2016, with most observers believing that the BBC Trust is likely to be scrapped. |
| Bradshaw believes that the political meddling and delay in opening discussions about charter renewal – the government has said it will not engage in the process until after the election next year – poison the water ahead of key negotiations, such as over licence fee funding. | Bradshaw believes that the political meddling and delay in opening discussions about charter renewal – the government has said it will not engage in the process until after the election next year – poison the water ahead of key negotiations, such as over licence fee funding. |
| "The mishandling of this appointment and delay of any discussion or debate around charter renewal until after the next election worries me that if the Tories win a majority they will have a hidden agenda to dismantle the BBC," said Bradshaw. "It is critical that at this important time for the BBC the trust has a chairman of calibre who understands the challenges the BBC faces and the political context around charter renewal and the licence fee, and it is not someone who makes it look as if the government prejudges the issue." | "The mishandling of this appointment and delay of any discussion or debate around charter renewal until after the next election worries me that if the Tories win a majority they will have a hidden agenda to dismantle the BBC," said Bradshaw. "It is critical that at this important time for the BBC the trust has a chairman of calibre who understands the challenges the BBC faces and the political context around charter renewal and the licence fee, and it is not someone who makes it look as if the government prejudges the issue." |
| Of the four or five candidates on the shortlist only Nick Prettejohn, the former Prudential UK chief executive, has been confirmed. Other big-hitters fancied for the job who have ruled themselves out of the process include Dame Marjorie Scardino, former chief executive of the Financial Times owner Pearson; former Sony chief and BBC non-executive director Sir Howard Stringer; and Sarah Hogg, a crossbencher in the Lords who was once John Major's Downing Street policy chief. | Of the four or five candidates on the shortlist only Nick Prettejohn, the former Prudential UK chief executive, has been confirmed. Other big-hitters fancied for the job who have ruled themselves out of the process include Dame Marjorie Scardino, former chief executive of the Financial Times owner Pearson; former Sony chief and BBC non-executive director Sir Howard Stringer; and Sarah Hogg, a crossbencher in the Lords who was once John Major's Downing Street policy chief. |
| • This article was amended on 5 August 2014 to add further quotes from Tessa Jowell |