Labour demands top-level meeting with BBC over ‘political’ Covid briefings
SCOTTISH Labour has demanded an urgent meeting with the head of BBC Scotland over what it calls Nicola Sturgeon’s “increasingly political” briefings on coronavirus.
The party claimed the briefings were “in breach of the Charter of the BBC”.
The Scottish Conservatives have also accused the First Minister of using the briefings, which attract 275,000 viewers across two TV channels, to “promote SNP policy and stir up resentment against the UK Government”.
Initially held each day, the Scottish Government briefings were recently cut back to three per week, but are expected to increase when schools return from August 11.
Labour complained earlier this month to Donalda Mackinnon, the BBC’S director in Scotland, that the FM was using the unprecedented airtime to score political points.
Scottish Labour deputy Jackie Baillie said the partisan content made it a “hugely inappropriate use of public money” 10 months prior to a Holyrood election.
The Dumbarton MSP said she felt very strongly that the briefings “cannot be allowed to continue in their current format”.
In recent weeks, Economy Secretary Fiona Hyslop has also appeared in the briefings to announce funding measures for Scottish businesses and the arts.
Ms Sturgeon, invariably at the prompting of the media, has also commented on Boris Johnson, the Union, independence and Russia.
In reply to Labour, Ms Mackinnon last week said the BBC also broadcast UK Government and Welsh First Minister’s briefings.
Refusing Ms Baillie’s demand, she said: “It is important that we continue to provide public access to the government briefings.”
Scottish Labour peer George Foulkes said the response was “totally unsatisfactory” and has now demanded a meeting with Ms Mackinnon about the issue.
In a letter in his capacity as chairman of the Scottish Group of the Parliamentary Labour Party, he said: “These briefings, which are meant to be for providing information to the public about the pandemic, have become increasingly party political with no opportunity for the right of reply for Opposition parties in Scotland.”
Scottish Tory leader Jackson Carlaw said the briefings had become “increasingly redundant”.
He said: “The BBC needs to stop pretending there is justification for unquestioningly screening what are rapidly becoming SNP party political broadcasts.”
The Scottish Government said: “Media briefings continue to be the most used source of information about the pandemic in Scotland and are used to disseminate the latest public health guidance as well as essential information about services and support for the economy.”
The BBC said it would respond to Labour in due course but that there was a “valid editorial justification”.
A BBC Scotland spokesman said: “We are broadcasting briefings on the pandemic and the easing of lockdown because these are matters of significant public interest.”