Minister accuses BBC of being biased against Brexit
LIAM Fox stepped up the Tory war with the BBC yesterday, accusing the Corporation of bias against Brexit.
The International Trade Secretary said the BBC and other media organisations deliberately tried to undermine efforts to make Brexit a success.
He told MPs: ‘It does appear that some elements of our media would rather see Britain fail than Brexit succeed. I cannot recall a single time in recent times when I have seen good economic news that the BBC didn’t describe as “despite Brexit”.’
Dr Fox’s intervention underlines the growing frustration in Eurosceptic ranks at the BBC’s coverage following last year’s referendum.
Many were content with the BBC during the campaign, when it was subject to strict guidelines requiring it to give equal weight to both sides. But they believe the broadcaster is now failing in its duty to be impartial.
Senior figures at Number 10 are also unhappy. But Downing Street stayed out of the row yesterday, with the Prime Minister’s official spokesman saying that Theresa May believed in a free press.
The criticism came as Dr Fox released figures showing healthy inward investment to the UK since the vote. He told MPs the latest data ‘showed a recordbreaking number of foreign direct investment projects in 2016-17, at 2,265’. But he added: ‘No doubt the usual suspects will describe it as “despite Brexit”.’
LEADING judges have spoken against ‘the lie’ that leaving the EU will undermine the rule of law. Lord Chief Justice Lord Thomas, head of the English judiciary, told fellow judges: ‘Brexit does not affect the quality or certainty of the law, or the standing of our courts or London’s arbitration centres.’
His comments follow an assertion last month from Supreme Court President Lord Neuberger that Brexit was likely to improve rather than damage the status of British courts.
WHATEVER our criticisms of the High Court and the Supreme Court over Brexit, never let it be said that the Mail hasn’t got a kind word to say about the legal profession, or indeed its most eminent practitioners, the judiciary.
Indeed, this week our two most senior judges have done much to defy the cruel caricature of the legal establishment – that it is out of touch with the public.
First Lord Neuberger, the president of the Supreme Court, and then Lord Thomas, the Lord Chief Justice, argued convincingly that Brexit can boost, rather than undermine, London’s standing as a global legal centre.
Talking Britain up and embracing Brexit: truly, they are friends of the people! TRADE Secretary Dr Liam Fox observes that the BBC is incapable of reporting good economic news without adding ‘despite Brexit’. As negotiations gather pace, isn’t it time for the corporation to rediscover the impartiality it showed during the referendum campaign, and has since abandoned?