Tory Party Deputy Chairman Jonathan Gullis refused to hold back as he launched a fiery tirade about an impartiality row hitting the BBC.
He spoke on GB News about a review into the broadcaster’s migration coverage which found risks to impartiality.
The review was commissioned by the BBC board in April 2023 and Dr Madeline Sumption’s findings pinpointed “weaknesses” but also “a lot of excellent content”.
Gullis told Patrick Christys the latest impartiality row to engulf the BBC is more evidence to suggest that the licence fee must be scrapped.
Jonathan Gullis launched a fiery rant about the BBC
GB NEWS
“It’s just classic BBC whitewashing, the reality that yet again, they’re found to not report properly with due impartiality”, he said.
“They are thinking that somehow migration is some sort of nasty right wing thing that gets talked about.
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“They would love to go back to the Remoaner days where we have open borders and free movement.
“Let’s get to the bottom of this and scrap the bloody licence fee once and for all.
“I will then finally be a happy man.”
The review concluded that audiences found coverage of matters like Rwanda to be lacking in context and journalists were sometimes anxious to be taking on topics they felt could be hostile to migrants.
The BBC is embroiled in another impartiality row
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Jonathan Gullis joined Patrick Christys on GB News
GB NEWS
Dr Sumption wrote the BBC coverage “should have equal empathy for migrants and UK residents who worry about the impacts of migration”.
Her review added the UK public’s views on migration “run the gamut from deeply sceptical to very liberal.
“But audiences generally recognised that migration brings both benefits and challenges.
“The BBC should reflect this nuance and not just the strongest views on either side”.
The review saw more than 100 people spoken to, including journalists and experts inside and outside the BBC, as well as 17 focus groups.
BBC board member Sir Nicholas Serota, who chairs the editorial guidelines and standards committee, said: “As recent events confirm, migration is a highly contested area of public policy – and that is why BBC reporting on it must meet the highest editorial standards.
“This board-commissioned review finds that BBC coverage of migration has many strengths but that it could also better reflect the topic’s complexities, as well as ensuring coverage is not overly dominated by political and high-profile voices.
“We have asked the director general and the executive to ensure all actions suggested in the review are implemented and the editorial guidelines and standards committee of the board will monitor progress to ensure all the challenges raised are addressed.”
