Labour joins Tories in declaring all-out war on the BBC over its election coverage

LABOUR has joined the Tories in declaring all-out war on the BBC over its election coverage.
Shadow transport secretary Andy McDonald launched a blistering attack, saying the Beeb played a “conscious” role in Labour’s crushing loss.

He said: “If the BBC are going to hold themselves out as having conducted themselves in an impartial manner, they’ve really got to have a look in the mirror.”

But veteran new anchor Huw Edwards hit back over claims of bias and defended the news team that covered the election.
Soon after Mr Mcdonald blasted the Beeb, the news reader who hosted the flagship BBC election coverage, said in a blog: “I should say a few things about notions of ‘bias’ and the attacks (from both left and right) on journalists who are trying their best to provide a duly impartial service.

"Our specialist editors are in a league of their own: they are employed to analyse and explain.

“They sometimes upset people with their analysis. Hard luck. It’s not ‘biased’ just because you happen not to like it.”

He added: “And you realise yet again that the real purpose of many of the attacks is to undermine trust in institutions which have been sources of stability over many decades.

“The apparent purpose, in short, is to cause chaos and confusion.”

It comes as No 10 have threatened to end prosecutions of licence fee dodgers. Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said: “We are going to look at the licence fee because we do think it is an unusual arrangement that it is criminalised.
“That’s putting a lot of pressure, which I think is unnecessary, on the criminal justice system.”
He added: “It doesn’t seem sensible to me that many members of the public, including vulnerable people, are being taken to court.”

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