Tories challenges Sugar decision
Friday, 19 June 2009 12:00 AM
By politics.co.uk staff
Shadow culture secretary Jeremy Hunt has made an official complaint over the BBC's decision to allow Sir Alan Sugar to continue with his Apprentice job.
The reality TV star was appointed by Gordon Brown as enterprise tsar but the BBC decided yesterday this did not conflict with his status as a Beeb employee.
As he has been appointed to a government position with the specific purpose of "informing Cabinet debate", Mr Hunt argued today, this may create a conflict of interest.
The shadow culture secretary has written a letter of complaint to the BBC Trust about breach of its editorial guidelines, alleging that it "could have serious consequences for the BBC's political independence".
"I honestly believe that having a prominent member of the government fronting a programme about the same set of issues his position relates to, and who already has a track record of mixing the two roles, is a direct breach of the much needed political independence of the BBC," he concluded.
"I look to the BBC Trust to guard against such a threat."
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