Tories attack BBC over Sugar's retention on The Apprentice

LONDON - Shadow Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt has lodged a formal complaint to the BBC Trust after the BBC confirmed it would keep new government business tsar, Sir Alan Sugar, on the hit show, The Apprentice.

Sugar: retaining his role on The Apprentice
Sugar: retaining his role on The Apprentice

Yesterday, the BBC confirmed Sugar would participate in next year's series of The Apprentice, after the businessman promised not to promote any Government policy in the run-up to and during the series.

The BBC said it was satisfied Sugar's "new role as an enterprise champion to the Government will not compromise the BBC's impartiality or his ability to present The Apprentice".

It added: "Should he be offered a peerage, Sir Alan will also be free to join other peers who do work for the BBC including Lord Lloyd Webber, Lord Bragg and Lord Winston, in the House of Lords."

But today, in a letter to BBC Trust chairman Sir Michael Lyons, Hunt said: "Rather than set my mind at ease, the justifications for allowing Sir Alan to take up his Government role given by the director general actually makes things worse.

"Having therefore now exhausted the complaints procedure with the BBC, I would now like to make a number of official complaints to the BBC Trust about a breach of editorial guidelines."

The letter adds: "Surely having a BBC employee informing Cabinet debates constitutes an ‘active political involvement and commitment' and will involve them having a ‘direct role in formulating Government policy'? It will give rise to a conflict of interest and could have serious consequences for the BBC's political independence."

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