Yesterday companies considering an ad boycott of GB News clearly irritated the broadcaster, with Andrew Neil taking to Twitter to point out the hypocrisy of IKEA. Guido can now reveal the campaigner behind the boycott website may have ulterior motives for trying to take down the new competitive channel: they’re a former senior BBC producer. 

The website BoycottGBNews.org, which has spent the last 24 hours celebrating various corporate boycotts, says it is a “campaigning website from Ripples”. A quick search of Companies House shows Ripples Campaigning was co-founded, and is run, by Louise Wikstrom. Louise, who appears to be their only employee, was a senior content producer at BBC Worldwide for three years.

Co-conspirators may have theories as to why someone closely linked to the BBC’s commercial arm might want GB News to fail?

Louise’s previous Facebook profile picture also makes clear her political allegiances:

Whilst Guido hadn’t heard of Ripples, it’s clearly a petition site exclusively for left-wingers and FBPEers. They laughably claim that due to their petitions, they prevented: a cut to universal credit; MPs receiving a £3,000 pay rise; an extension of the furlough scheme; and preventing the government from “breaking international law” on Brexit. These past claims are clearly absurd. Their latest busy-bodying attempt is far more malicious…