Guido can reveal that during the first six months of this year Lord Patten turned up to his BBC office on average just two days a week. Between January and July £110,000-a-year Patten attended his Great Portland Street office on just 56 days. The BBC have told Guido that Patten is expected to work on Beeb business for three to four days a week, and is required to be on call seven days a week. Overall twelve-job Patten was recorded as working for just 78 days during the period, with the BBC noting that 22 of those were merely attending the odd meeting or answering phone calls from home.

You can bet he’s putting in a lot more hours in now…