Photo: BBC
There has been an unprecedented level of digital eye-rolling, following Jeremy Hunt’s appearance on the BBC this morning. In predictable fashion, he dodged a number questions posed to him by Laura Kuenssberg.
However, that wasn’t the stand-out factor in this stale interview. The pair didn’t really establish anything of note, and Hunt refused to repeat his demands for an apology from Gary Lineker, following the presenter’s criticism of the government last week.
The topic of BBC impartiality was discussed at length, however. The broadcaster has come under enormous fire, after they were pressured into dropping Lineker from hosting Match Of The Day on Saturday. Tory influence was largely blamed on the controversial move.
The suspension of Mr. Lineker sparked a massive chain reaction for the BBC and its sport output. Radio 5 Live was unable to provide commentary on Premier League games, whereas Football Focus and Final Score were taken off-air, as a result of staff walk-outs.
Match Of The Day itself was reduced to a zombified 20-minute run, devoid of presenters, pundits, or commentators. A number of right-wing Tory MPs have since lauded the broadcast, but make no mistake – this was an outright embarrassment for the BBC.
The topic of Gary Lineker’s future at the Beeb remains a hot-button issue, and it is one Jeremy Hunt is handling carefully. However, he did inadvertently produce a comical response, in regards to Laura Kuenssberg and her alleged political leanings.
Kuenssberg has been accused, on many occasions, of showing bias towards the Conservative Party. LBC host James O’Brien was the latest high-profile figure to draw attention to this. Alas, Hunt didn’t do his host any favours when he brought up her voting preferences
“I’ve got absolutely no idea what political party you voted for at the last General Election, and that is right. What needs to happen, not just with Gary Lineker, but also with the BBC Chairman and the independent investigation, is that we maintain trust in the institution.” | Jeremy Hunt
