Dimbleby ‘not independent enough’ to land role of BBC chairman
DAVID DIMBLEBY and Theresa May’s former communications chief could fall at the first hurdle in the race to become BBC chairman, after the Government ruled that Sir David Clementi’s successor must be entirely independent from the corporation.
Dimbleby, the former Question Time presenter, and Sir Robbie Gibb would both fall foul of criteria that will be used to ensure that the new chairman has no ties to the BBC. After demands by senior Tories for major reforms at the corporation, the official job advertisement for the role says the chairman
must be “demonstrably independent” from the BBC.
Individual criteria “by which independence will be assessed” include whether candidates have “been an employee of the BBC … within the last five years” or had a “material business relationship” with the broadcaster.
“Independence will be assessed at the point of appointment and also annually by the Board itself,” according to the job advertisement issued by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.
Dimbleby chaired Question Time until December 2018, with his salary paid via Mentorn, an independent production company. He has since presented several BBC programmes.
Sir Robbie, 56, was head of BBC Westminster, and edited The Andrew Marr Show, before becoming 10 Downing Street’s director of communications in July 2017, under Mrs May. The Government is separately drawing up proposals to decriminalise non-payment of the BBC licence fee – a move being fiercely resisted by Tim Davie, the corporation’s new director-general.
Other possible candidates to take over from Sir David include Baroness Morgan of Cotes, the former culture secretary; Amber Rudd, the ex-work and pensions secretary; and Trevor Phillips, the former equalities chief.
Yesterday, The Daily Telegraph disclosed that George Osborne, the former chancellor, was also being lined up, after the salary for the part-time role was raised to £160,000 a year.
Days before the publication of the job advertisement last week, Dimbleby announced he was considering throwing his hat in the ring if Boris Johnson appeared to be on course to appoint one of the corporation’s critics to the role.
The 81-year-old, who presented BBC election programmes from 1979 to 2017, said he was “horrified” by the news that Lord Moore of Etchingham, the former editor of The Sunday Telegraph and The Daily Telegraph, was being considered for the job.
Dimbleby had been planning to make a rival application and promote himself as a defender of the BBC, until Lord Moore ruled himself out of the running earlier this month. Dimbleby said: “I still might, depending on who comes forward.”
However, the job advertisement for the role, published last week, states: “In accordance with best practice in corporate governance, the Chair and the majority of non-executive directors of the BBC Board will be required to be demonstrably independent of the Corporation.”
As well as stipulations about previous employment or business relationships with the BBC, criteria used to assess a candidate’s independence will include whether they have received any remuneration from the corporation, other than as a board member, or have “close family ties with any of the BBC’s advisers, directors or senior employees”.