Tory slams BBC over ‘negativity’ on Brexit

THE BBC is wilfully ignoring positive Brexit stories and shows a clear pattern of unbalanced reporting, a Tory cabinet minister has claimed.

International Trade Secretary Liam Fox has called for a face-to-face meeting with the corporation’s boss, Tony Hall, to discuss the way “important” announcements from his department are being covered.

But the Liberal Democrats accused him of behaving like a “tinpot dictator” and claimed the move was a “blatant attempt at intimidating” the BBC.

Mr Fox said the BBC had chosen not to report annual foreign direct investment figures released by the Department for International Trade despite being contacted about them by his team.

The BBC also turned down an interview opportunity with him during a visit he made to Paris, he claimed.

“I understand that the BBC cannot cover every story and I appreciate too, that despite its best efforts, the corporation cannot always guarantee total impartiality,” he said.

“However, I believe that we are now seeing a clear pattern of unbalanced reporting of the UK economy.”

Liberal Democrat chief whip Alistair Carmichael said: “This is a blatant attempt at intimidating the BBC. The BBC shouldn’t be bullied into publishing government propaganda and has rightly stood its ground.

“Liam Fox is acting like a tinpot dictator. He can’t blame the media for his inability to deliver on all the trade deals promised by the Brexiteers.”