It has been a bruising afternoon for the BBC in the House of Commons. An urgent question was granted on the findings of the Dyson report into the Martin Bashir affair and the subsequent cover up of how Panorama obtained its Princess Diana interview in 1995.
Tory MP after Tory MP has queued up to lambast the Beeb for its failings. Memorable moments included John Redwood asking, ‘How can someone who supports Brexit, believes in the Union and loves England be persuaded that the BBC’s views of public service broadcasting in future be fair to their views?’ and Iain Duncan Smith calling for BBC bosses and Bashir to be referred to the police for a fraud investigation.
But the highlight of the afternoon was undoubtedly former miner Lee Anderson ending his question to culture minister John Whittingdale with this broadside:
‘The findings of the Dyson report come as no surprise to many residents in Ashfield who have lost all confidence in the BBC. And I personally have ripped up my TV licence and they won’t get another penny from me, ever, because in my opinion the once great BBC is rotten and my constituents should not have to pay for a service if they don’t use it. So does my right honourable friend agree with me that one way to make the BBC behave in the future is to make it a subscription service?’
You can watch the moment below.
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