MPS must stop defending ‘liars, chancers and crooks’

MEMBERS of parliament must raise standards and stop defending “liars, chancers and crooks”, Nick Robinson has said, as he argued it is now “much harder to defend our political class”.

The BBC political presenter said standards on both sides of the House had deteriorated, saying politicians no longer accept that “rules are rules and standards are standards that have to be enforced whoever is accused of breaking them”.

Robinson has been criticised over his “aggressive” interviewing of members of the Government, including one occasion last year when he told the Prime Minister to “stop talking”.

Writing in Radio Times, he said: “It’s become much harder to defend our political class, and it will continue to be until and unless more MPS make a stand for high standards in public life.

“I still think what I’ve always thought – any group of 650 men and women egotistical enough to put themselves in the spotlight is bound to contain its fair share of liars, chancers and crooks.

“I dare say that’s true of company executives, lawyers, doctors and, yes, even journalists and broadcasters.”

The difference now, he said, is that “too often MPS have responded to scandals by seeking to defend their own or damage their enemies”.

Neil Parish, the MP caught watching pornography in Parliament, should have owned up and apologised earlier, Robinson said, adding: “Not for the first time and not for the last we’ve seen MPS fail to police their own behaviour.”

Robinson’s efforts to take politicians to task have angered Tory MPS before.

During an interview with Boris Johnson at the Conservative Party conference in October, Robinson said: “Prime

‘Not for the first time and not for the last we’ve seen MPS fail to police their own behaviour’

Minister, stop talking. We are going to have questions and answers, not where you merely talk, if you wouldn’t mind.”

Tim Davie, the BBC director-general, later said in response to a listener’s complaint about Robinson’s “aggressive” manner: “I think it is essential for us to robustly hold those in power to account, but I do take the point that interviews should not become unnecessarily aggressive.”

He said Robinson “had acknowledged that he should have used different language”.