A senior Conservative MP says the BBC’s next political editor should be pro-Brexit if Laura Kuenssberg leaves her role.
Rumours emerged this week that the long-standing correspondent is set to join the Today programme as part of a major reshuffle of the BBC’s on-air staff.
Her departure would leave open the key role of political editor at a time when the future of the BBC licence fee is being negotiated.
Jon Sopel, currently the corporation’s North America editor, is said to be leading the field of internal candidates to replace Ms Kuenssberg at Westminster.
But according to MP Julian Knight, chair of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport committee, the corporation should “throw the net wider” and find a Brexiteer to find a replacement if there is a vacancy in the key position.
“This would be an opportunity for the BBC, maybe, to look at journalists who had a much more pro-Brexit [approach],” the influential Tory told The Telegraph.
Mr Knight added: “In front of our committee [BBC director general] Tim Davie could not name any senior person he had employed during his watch who supported Brexit. Maybe this is a chance to correct that.”
The senior MP recently attacked the BBC for not “getting on with it” after the Brexit referendum, saying: “It was not in touch at all over Brexit – it had a collective nervous breakdown in my view.”
Related: The real reason the Conservatives continue to poll well
