MPs attack BBC for its ‘ biased EU reporting’
THE BBC has a ‘deeply concerning’ pro-European bias and has ‘fallen down severely’ in its obligation to provide i mpartial coverage of the issue, MPs say today.
The European Scrutiny Committee says the corporation does not give enough airtime to those who believe Britain should leave the European Union or that there should be a referendum on membership.
The MPs also criticised the BBC’s director-general, Lord Hall, for failing in his role as the corporation’s editor-in -chief, after he turned down an invitation to give evidence to the committee in Parliament four times.
Lord Hall, who earns £450,000 a year of licence fee payers’ money, eventually relented after the com- mittee told him to treat its invitation as a ‘formal summons’.
Sir Bill Cash, the Eurosceptic who chairs the committee, said: ‘The BBC has fallen down severely on its obligations to viewers and listeners to give them a proper and balanced assessment of both sides of the argument. This is an issue that affects everybody’s lives. Who can say that the European question is not important?’
The Conservative MP argued that many of the BBC’s flagship shows, including Radio’s 4’s Today programme, are stuffed with commentators who talk about the economic and political dangers of Britain leaving the EU. But, he argued, they have far too few people on its shows to explain what the benefits might be.
Sir Bill said: ‘There is a [line] of questioning which is quite clearly geared to elicit the answers, “I don’t want a referendum”, or “I don’t want Britain to l eave the European Union.” There are two sides of the argument. Why don’t they have more people on so they can represent them? That [bias] is carried through an enormous amount of the BBC’s flagship programmes.’
It is not the first time the committee has called on the BBC to give more airtime to Eurosceptics.
The cross-parliamentary group said in 2005 that the corporation should have to air a series of debates about Britain’s position in the EU, to help educate the public.
But in today’s report MPs say the BBC has done little to change things, and that they ‘ remain deeply concerned about the manner’ in which the corporation tackles the subject of the EU. They were particularly angry with Lord Hall.
‘He is editor-in-chief,’ said Sir Bill. ‘He has responsibility for ensuring that the [BBC] Charter and Framework Agreement are complied with. The charter does not give them absolute editorial independence. They have to work within a framework.’
The committee had to write to the director-general five times over the course of a year before he agreed to appear before members. Even then, he only did so after the committee told him it was a ‘formal summons’ and accused him of hiding behind historic rules which would let him off the hook because of his peerage.
Members of the Lords do have the right to decline invitations to appear before the Commons. Lord Hall has denied ever trying to take advantage of his peerage in this way.
A BBC spokesman said: ‘ As Lord Hall told the committee, we are and will be impartial in all matters concerning our coverage.
‘The BBC provides extensive coverage of both European and parliamentary issues and while we respect the committee’s role, it would be a breach of our independence if a committee of MPs were to instruct us how to cover an individual issue or story.’
‘Fallen down on its obligations’