Yesterday Nadine Dorries announced a new departmental review assessing whether the BBC needs reforming to “achieve greater impartiality” and hire more people from working class backgrounds. With excellent timing, yesterday the BBC hired a St Paul’s and Oxbridge educated 5 Live presenter who called on people to vote Labour at the local elections, called the Tories racist, and said Boris and Nadine are “unfit to govern”. Guido doesn’t think the corporation’s set to pass DCMS’ review with flying colours…
Some personal news (thread!):
— Matthew Stadlen (@MatthewStadlen) May 26, 2022
After nine years away, I’m going back to work with the BBC as a stand-in presenter on @bbc5live.
The station was one of the soundtracks of my teenage years and I can’t wait to get started in a few weeks. 1/4
Matthew Stadlen announced to his followers yesterday his delight at returning to the corporation after nine years, claiming the move “means a return to impartiality”. Less than three weeks after calling the PM “racist” on a podcast.
The tweets have caused concern in government, with a senior government figure telling Guido “Matthew’s social media suggests he doesn’t just hold private political views, he’s nakedly partisan. These aren’t historic tweets, he was slinging mud at the Government just a few weeks ago. Something has gone very wrong with the BBC’s recruitment process.” The BBC really knows how to bite the hand that feeds it…
UPDATE: Job offer withdrawn
NEW: BBC withdraw job offer to aspiring Labour MP Matthew Stadlen.
— Harry Cole (@MrHarryCole) May 27, 2022
He’s been deleting non-historic tweets but spokesperson said: “We have many conversations with a diverse range of potential presenters. We had offered him some temporary work but our plans have changed for now.”
