Former BBC and ITV Chairman Lord Grade disappointed GMB presenters this morning when refusing to pander to their outrage over the Government’s boycott of the programme. As the number of days without a government spokesperson on the show hits 65, presenters Ben Shephard and Ranvir Singh asked Grade if he would have tolerated the boycott during his ITV tenure, and whether the Government have a “duty” to appear on the show. The knock on effect appears to be viewers joining the GMB boycott…

Lord Grade caused faces to drop when he accused the presenters of “arrogance” in thinking they have the right of access to senior ministers, and that it’s up to the show to win the government’s confidence again – which must be done via “quiet diplomacy“. Which seems a better idea than rants on Piers Morgan’s Twitter account…