24/10/2012

Row Between Government And BBC Escalates

In an escalation of the row between the government and the BBC over its handling of the Jimmy Savile sex abuse scandal the culture secretary has said it was right to "reflect the deep level of concern" about the crisis enveloping the corporation.

Maria Miller made her remarks on Wednesday morning as Conservative backbench MP Sir Roger Gale raised the stakes by saying director general George Entwistle, who is barely a month into his new role, and BBC Trust chairman Lord Patten may have to "fall on their swords".

Miller refused to back down in the face of criticism from Patten, who on Tuesday responded to an earlier statement from the culture secretary by warning her against questioning the independence of the BBC.

On Tuesday Miller wrote to Patten to warn the scandal had raised "very real concerns" about public trust in the corporation and said it was vital that the independent inquiries into what had happened were "able to follow the evidence wherever it takes them".

Patten responded by effectively telling Miller to back off. "I know that you will not want to give any impression that you are questioning the independence of the BBC," he wrote in a letter.

(H)


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