Post by Teddy Bear on Jun 1, 2015 17:28:04 GMT
As despicable as the BBC is, I cannot find myself with any sympathy for Tories when they find themselves in the BBC cross-hairs. For as long as this situation has been going on, and we've detailed enough examples of it here, the spineless or equally insidious Tories have done nothing about it.
As the saying goes, if you make yourself a doormat you can't blame anybody for walking on you.
As the saying goes, if you make yourself a doormat you can't blame anybody for walking on you.
Tories attack BBC after former mandarin with 'blatant conflict of interest' is given airtime to slam new 'right to buy' plan
By Tom McTague, Deputy Political Editor for MailOnline
The BBC has been dragged into a fresh bias storm today after giving airtime to a former Whitehall mandarin to criticise the government – without declaring his 'blatant conflict of interest'.
Former civil service chief Bob Kerslake was invited onto Radio 4's Today programme to attack the Tories' manifesto commitment to extending the right to buy scheme to 1.3 million housing association properties.
Lord Kerslake was introduced as 'the most senior civil servant at the Department for Communities and Local Government' until February this year when he was given a life peerage in the Lords.
However, the presenters failed to mention that the cross bench peer has since taken over as head of one of Britain's most famous housing associations - Peabody - which has led attacks against the government's flagship policy.
In his interview, Lord Kerslake attacked the Conservative plan to give housing association tenants the right to buy their homes with discounts of up to £102,700 in London and £77,000 across the rest of England.
He claimed the right-to-buy policy extension was 'wrong in principle and wrong in practice'.
The peer said: 'The route to greater home ownership, which I'm actually very much in favour of, is to build more houses. That needs collaboration between housing associations, house builders and government, and it's likely that this policy, I think, will push that backwards rather than forwards.'
He also used the platform to praise housing associations for being a 'critical part of delivering new housing in this country', adding: 'Something like a third, occasionally up to a half, of the new houses have come from housing associations.'
The life peer said his intervention was not about 'resistance to change' – insisting the government was pursuing a 'fundamentally wrong-headed policy'.
But his intervention – and the BBC's failure to mention his conflict of interest – sparked anger among Conservative backbenchers today.
Conservative MP Philip Davies (right) said the BBC had 'absolutely no excuse' for not drawing attention to Lord Kerslake's conflict of interest to the right to buy policy, which will be pushed through by the new Communities Secretary Greg Clarke (left)
Philip Davies, who sat on the respected Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee for the past five year, told MailOnline: 'There's absolutely no excuse for them not to draw attention to his blatant conflict of interest.
'Nobody doubts the self-interest of the housing associations on this policy.
'If the editors at the BBC don't think that is relevant then they are not in the right job. Of course it's relevant – of course it's going to put a different perspective on things.
'I'd love to know the reason they are giving for not making people aware of his conflict of interest.'
Lord Kerslake was head of the civil service until last year and until February the most senior official at the Department for Communities and Local Government, which is responsible for house building.
He officially took over as chair of Peabody today – an unpaid position – less than four months after leaving the civil service.
The peer will use his maiden speech in the House of Lords today to attack the government policy, which was announced in the Queen's Speech.
Stephen Howlett, the chief executive of Peabody, has already claimed the decision to allow housing association tenants to buy their homes at a discount would create a 'buy-to-let bonanza'.
The appointment was approved by the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments even though it said that Lord Kerslake was in charge of staff who, as civil servants, had direct contractual relationships with Peabody.
Lord Kerslake is banned from lobbying on behalf of the organisation, although he can make public comments.
His entry in the register of lords' interests lists his chairmanship as a 'non-financial interest'.
- Lord Kerslake given prime slot on the BBC's flagship Today programme
- He slammed the government's 'wrong headed' right to buy policy extension
- Tory policy gives housing association tenants right to buy at a discount
- Lord Kerslake left civil service in February and is now the head of major housing association
By Tom McTague, Deputy Political Editor for MailOnline
The BBC has been dragged into a fresh bias storm today after giving airtime to a former Whitehall mandarin to criticise the government – without declaring his 'blatant conflict of interest'.
Former civil service chief Bob Kerslake was invited onto Radio 4's Today programme to attack the Tories' manifesto commitment to extending the right to buy scheme to 1.3 million housing association properties.
Lord Kerslake was introduced as 'the most senior civil servant at the Department for Communities and Local Government' until February this year when he was given a life peerage in the Lords.
However, the presenters failed to mention that the cross bench peer has since taken over as head of one of Britain's most famous housing associations - Peabody - which has led attacks against the government's flagship policy.
In his interview, Lord Kerslake attacked the Conservative plan to give housing association tenants the right to buy their homes with discounts of up to £102,700 in London and £77,000 across the rest of England.
He claimed the right-to-buy policy extension was 'wrong in principle and wrong in practice'.
The peer said: 'The route to greater home ownership, which I'm actually very much in favour of, is to build more houses. That needs collaboration between housing associations, house builders and government, and it's likely that this policy, I think, will push that backwards rather than forwards.'
He also used the platform to praise housing associations for being a 'critical part of delivering new housing in this country', adding: 'Something like a third, occasionally up to a half, of the new houses have come from housing associations.'
The life peer said his intervention was not about 'resistance to change' – insisting the government was pursuing a 'fundamentally wrong-headed policy'.
But his intervention – and the BBC's failure to mention his conflict of interest – sparked anger among Conservative backbenchers today.
Conservative MP Philip Davies (right) said the BBC had 'absolutely no excuse' for not drawing attention to Lord Kerslake's conflict of interest to the right to buy policy, which will be pushed through by the new Communities Secretary Greg Clarke (left)
Philip Davies, who sat on the respected Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee for the past five year, told MailOnline: 'There's absolutely no excuse for them not to draw attention to his blatant conflict of interest.
'Nobody doubts the self-interest of the housing associations on this policy.
'If the editors at the BBC don't think that is relevant then they are not in the right job. Of course it's relevant – of course it's going to put a different perspective on things.
'I'd love to know the reason they are giving for not making people aware of his conflict of interest.'
Lord Kerslake was head of the civil service until last year and until February the most senior official at the Department for Communities and Local Government, which is responsible for house building.
He officially took over as chair of Peabody today – an unpaid position – less than four months after leaving the civil service.
The peer will use his maiden speech in the House of Lords today to attack the government policy, which was announced in the Queen's Speech.
Stephen Howlett, the chief executive of Peabody, has already claimed the decision to allow housing association tenants to buy their homes at a discount would create a 'buy-to-let bonanza'.
The appointment was approved by the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments even though it said that Lord Kerslake was in charge of staff who, as civil servants, had direct contractual relationships with Peabody.
Lord Kerslake is banned from lobbying on behalf of the organisation, although he can make public comments.
His entry in the register of lords' interests lists his chairmanship as a 'non-financial interest'.