BBC CHAIR MUSTN'T BE ANOTHER LABOUR CRONY

12.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Fri 15th Dec 2006

Speaking in DCMS Oral Questions today in the House of Commons, Paul Holmes, MP for Chesterfield, said:

"The BBC is widely acknowledged as the best and most impartial public service broadcaster in the world and it must be kept that way.

"What steps then will the Secretary of State take to ensure that the appointment of the new chair of the BBC Trust is not just transparent but is beyond criticism:

So that it is not viewed with the same understandable suspicion as the appointment of 5 of the 12 Big Lottery Fund Board members who are Labour Party members, or the nominations of Labour Party donors and creditors for peerages and honours, by the Prime Minister and Chancellor?"

Commenting afterwards he added: "Public disillusionment with politics and politicians is worsening, especially following last week's news about the serious fraud office being forced to abandon its investigations. The Government has got to stop putting its foot in its mouth and clean up its act. The Chair of the BBC Trust must be a critical friend of the BBC not a cheerleader."