Beeb under fire (again) – POLITICO

Good Sunday afternoon. This is Annabelle Dickson at the helm of the good ship Sunday Crunch today.

THINGS TO KNOW

BEEB UNDER FIRE: Politicians are not pulling their punches on the BBC’s handling of grim allegations that an unnamed BBC star paid thousands of pounds to a teenager for sexually explicit photos. Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves said the claim was “deeply concerning” and warned that broadcasters need to “get a grip” amid a raft of rolling scandals. Treasury minister Victoria Atkins agreed the BBC needs to “act very swiftly” over the “very serious” allegations. 

Splash central: The bombshell claim that a well-known presenter is accused of handing over more than £35,000 to the alleged victim since they were 17 makes the front of many of the papers this morning. The claims first broke in Saturday’s Sun, and there is more horrific detail from the mother of the victim in the Sun’s Sunday edition, and other papers today. The paper reckons the star is off-air but has not been suspended while the claims are being investigated.

DG talks: Lucy Frazer, the culture secretary, will speak to BBC Director General Tim Davie “later today,” a Department for Culture, Media and Sport spokesperson said in a statement this afternoon.

Peak BBC: The BBC obvs led its flagship Sunday show with the story. The BBC’s Lizo Mzimba told Laura K “the presenter in question we understand is not due on air in the near future … but we’re not sure and we haven’t been able to confirm whether the BBC has formally suspended that presenter or not.”

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Not me: High-profile Beeb presenters were forced to distance themselves from the claims amid the usual online speculation. Legendary media law trainer David Banks spent the weekend reminding the Twitterati it could be fairly costly to ignorantly speculate about the presenter’s identity. Reeves told Sky she wasn’t “totally sure” whether the presenter facing the allegations should be named to protect other presenters in the firing line given you can get vexatious complaints. 

Come on social media: Asked about her view on the Twitter speculation in the absence of an identity, Atkins said there was “a responsibility for social media companies to take care of what is on their sites.”

What the Beeb says: The BBC said it treated any allegations “very seriously” and had “processes in place to proactively deal with them.” It added: “As part of that, if we receive information that requires further investigation or examination we will take steps to do this.”

Cutting the cash: In terribly-timed news for the public service broadcaster, the Mail on Sunday hears ministers are looking to break the link between the license fee rise and inflation in a bid to cut costs for viewers. 

FLYING OFF: It’s a big week for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak who will host Joe Biden in London tomorrow, before jetting off for more hobnobbing with world leaders at a NATO summit that starts Tuesday. The big question NATO leaders will have to grapple with is whether Ukraine should be in or out of the defense alliance. 

Primer: POLITICO’s Lili Bayer has a must-read walk-up to the summit and says NATO allies are planning to establish a new NATO-Ukraine Council for talks with Kyiv, but the “air-tight signal for membership Ukrainian officials hope for is unlikely to fully materialize” as “it’s just too contentious for the moment.”

Also on the agenda: The U.K. and ally Spain are not impressed with the U.S. decision to send cluster bombs to Ukraine after Friday’s announcement they would be part of a support package. Sunak stopped short of all-out condemnation obvs, telling reporters on Saturday: “We will continue to do our part to support Ukraine against Russia’s illegal and unprovoked invasion, but we’ve done that by providing heavy battle tanks and most recently long-range weapons, and hopefully all countries can continue to support Ukraine.” POLITICO’s Mathieu Pollet has more.

What would Labour do: On Sky, Reeves unsurprisingly said she was “concerned” about the use of cluster bombs. “I think it is right that allies should be able to say ‘we’re not sure about this’,” going on to say it was not a move she would endorse. She did try hard to give the U.S. warm words for its wider support for Ukraine though. 

Diplomatic dance: Expert diplomat and former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who was on the BBC talking about the need for action on climate change, was not leaping to Biden’s defense, telling Laura K that he wasn’t getting involved in that one. It was not in his “bailiwick” right now, he insisted. 

‘Critical component’: Right in his bailiwick, though, is the green agenda, and Kerry said he thought it would be a “critical component” of Biden’s chat with Sunak. He also revealed he and U.K. Energy Secretary Grant Shapps will be briefing King Charles and the U.S. president on climate change investment in Windsor tomorrow.

BACK ON THE HOME FRONT: As usual, there is plenty for Tory MPs to feel glum about after reading the Sunday papers and watching the Sunday shows. 

No hope: Interventions from Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, and his treasury minister Atkins, suggest the government isn’t even flirting with the idea of imminent tax cuts anymore. It seems another Tory backbench push — details courtesy of the Sun on Sunday — for tax giveaways is falling on deaf ears. Hunt told the Financial Times he would “not countenance tax cuts” if they risked stoking price rises. On the BBC, Atkins insisted: “We do not have the headroom at the moment to look at tax cuts.” 

War of attrition: Sunak will have to hope MPs are distracted this week by what could turn into a war of attrition between the House of Lords and House of Commons over the final draft of his small boats legislation. The measure is expected to start bouncing between the two chambers with ping pong set to get under way on Tuesday. 

Coffee needed: MPs could be made to sit all night to get Sunak’s “stop the boats” legislation onto the statute books before the summer, the Sun on Sunday reports. Maybe POLITICO’s Esther Webber’s story on the pensioners staying up all night in the “other place” has prompted a bit of friendly rivalry when it comes to legislative work ethic. A senior Tory source tells the Sun: “If MPs have to sit all night that is what we will do — the whips have been clear on that.”

Uncomfortable viewing: But for all the bravado from the government on its tough small boats policies, Sky’s Sophy Ridge exposed a potential faultline in the government over some of the realities of acting tough. Asked if she was comfortable about reports a mural of cartoon characters on the walls of an asylum center for unaccompanied children was painted over, Atkins didn’t directly answer, and appeared keener to talk about what the government is doing to look after unaccompanied children arriving on U.K. shores. Ridge’s tenacity in trying to pin Atkins down on that one is worth watching in full, and should give other ministers pause for thought. 

Also awks: GB News’ Camilla Tominey also did a fine job of exposing just how hard some senior Tories find it to unwaveringly back what their own party leadership is doing. Potential Tory London mayoral candidate Moz Hossain struggled with a quick fire yes or no which included his stance on net zero and the government’s Rwanda policy. Tominey was not going to let him off the hook. Excruciating viewing.

Is it actually working? A total of 686 people — the highest number this year — arrived by dinghy to the U.K. across the Channel on Friday. Sky News has more. Crunch is wondering how long Sunak’s five pledges, launched with such swagger at the turn of the year, and including a pledge to stop the boats, will continue to adorn the top of government press releases. 

Not going to help: The absolutely brutal focus groups in the three seats where the Tories are facing by-elections, which feature in the Sunday Times today, are likely to send Tory MPs into even more of a tailspin. One participant, a 42-year-old swimming teacher from Uxbridge, delivered a brutal assessment of Sunak. “He’s just not a genuine person,” she said. “I don’t think he knows what he’s doing,” 

ABOUT THE ALTERNATIVE: Amid all the gloom in the Tory ranks, Reeves was out on the airwaves attempting to burnish Labour’s economic credentials this morning. The Sunday Times says shadow cabinet members are not expecting to get any more money for public services if the party wins the next election. The headline — Labour will copy Tory tax and spending plans if elected — will not go down well with some of her colleagues. Reeves said she didn’t accept the characterization Labour will follow the same lines as the Tories on spending, pointing to the party’s tax plans for non-doms. 

Attack line: In quotes we are likely to hear a lot over the next year or so, Reeves insisted: “All of our plans will be built on a rock of economic and fiscal responsibility. Labour will not play fast and loose with the public finances.”

Can we build it? Reeves was also keen to sell her plan to get more homes built, insisting in her BBC interview that it is not about spending taxpayers money, but about unblocking the planning system. In the latest actual government planning news, the Sunday Times has got wind of Housing Secretary Michael Gove’s bold planning reform to build 250,000 new homes to make Cambridge “Britain’s Silicon Valley.” 

Impressed: Former Treasury Minister turned commentator David Gauke, who was on the BBC’s Sunday morning panel, said Reeves has made “huge progress politically” in addressing Labour’s vulnerability on public spending. But he suggested Labour should be bolder on Brexit given “one of the impediments that the U.K. economy has is that it’s much harder to trade with our biggest market than was the case until very recently.”

Talking of Brexit: What is left of Remain Twitter has been sharing the Observer’s interview with former Environment Secretary George Eustice, a leading Tory Brexiteer. He wants to see a reciprocal visa scheme so that under-35s can work across the EU and Britain. 

QUICK-FIRE CATCH-UP

SPOTTED: At the wedding of former Chancellor George Osborne and ex-aide Thea Rogers in Bruton were: Former Prime Minister David Cameron and his wife Samantha … Former Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls … Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper … Housing Secretary Michael Gove … former Foreign Secretary William Hague … former Chancellor Sajid Javid … former Health Secretary Matt Hancock … former Bank of England Governor Mark Carney … BBC Today program presenter Nick Robinson … podcasters Jon Sopel … Emily Maitlis (h/t the Sunday Times’ Charlotte Ivers for the guest list, and for a highly-entertaining dispatch from Somerset). 

Investigation: You have probably already seen the Telegraph’s report on Friday night that Osborne has asked police to investigate a “poison pen” letter which was sent to wedding guests days before his big day.

Just rude: Reeves did not hold back in condemning what appears to have been a Just Stop Oil protest at the wedding. The protest group tweeted that Osborne looked good in orange after a woman jumped out to spray the couple with orange confetti – the group’s trademark color. 

In quotes: “I have got no time for Just Stop Oil,” Reeves told Sky. “I think it’s pathetic and quite tedious, disrupting tennis, snooker, other people’s weddings. He said the group’s actions were “counterproductive” and “rude.”

‘Civil disobedience’: The protest has attracted the attention of Kerry who said people were “captivated” by the climate crisis, and the Just Stop Oil protest at Wimbledon last week was an example of “civil disobedience building in communities around the world.”

Tree huggers — friend or foe? Asked about reports in the Sunday Times that Starmer declared his hatred of tree huggers to his shadow cabinet, Reeves did not dispute the account, telling Sky: “I love a tree. What I don’t like is needless disruption to people’s lives.”

DENIED: Banks remain under fire for refusing to do business with certain individuals and industries. The Sunday Express splashes on claims “woke” banks are a risk to national security, and say the Ministry of Defense has “launched a probe” into why a load of military companies are being turned down for banking services. 

Money-men denied: Chancellor Jeremy Hunt apparently told colleagues he was turned down for a Monzo bank account because of “disproportionate” money laundering rules. The Sunday Telegraph says a string of peers have also had their cards canceled thanks to global efforts to root out corruption meaning banks are forced to carry out enhanced checks on so-called “politically exposed persons.” 

PAINT JOB: The extraordinary cost of sprucing up prime ministerial planes is finally revealed in the Sunday Mirror this morning — £800,000 (on top of the £900,000 for another RAF jet.) The Cabinet Office was unsurprisingly not that keen to disclose the cost of the post-Brexit Global Britain push, the paper says. It was forced to reveal the figures after a complaint to the Information Commissioner’s Office. 

TRANS WEEK: Expect plenty of gender identity rancor this week. The Sun on Sunday reckons long-awaited guidance for schools, which will suggest children can “socially transition” (i.e. calling themselves by a different name and wearing a different uniform) will be published within days.

On committee corridor: And just in time, chair at Equality and Human Rights Commission Kishwer Falkner is up in front of the women and equalities committee on Wednesday. The Sunday Tele says the investigation into Falkner’s conduct amid a raft of leaked complaints of bullying from staff is still on pause, with a Whitehall source claiming the commission is “adrift.”

BARRED: The BBC reported overnight that the Syrian government has canceled its media accreditation over what it called “biased and misleading reports.” It comes after a BBC story linking the trade of an amphetamine called Captagon with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s family. The Beeb said it speaks to people across the political spectrum to establish the facts.

MEDIA ROUND

Ayesha Hazarika on Times Radio (4 p.m. to 7 p.m.): Conservative MP Peter Gibson … Labour frontbencher Seema Malhotra … SNP MP Amy Callaghan.

Gloria Meets on GB News (6 p.m.): Former Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis … Ex-Labour MP Luciana Berger … Conservative MP James Morris.

Westminster Hour (BBC Radio 4, 10 p.m.): Treasury Minister Andrew Griffith … Shadow Wales Secretary Jo Stevens … the Spectator’s Kate Andrews … FT Pol Ed George Parker. 

WEEK AHEAD

MONDAY

ECONOMY: Chancellor Jeremy Hunt and Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey to speak at the annual Mansion House dinner. (Bailey speech to be published at 4 p.m.)

DIPLOMACY: U.S. President Joe Biden to meet Rishi Sunak and King Charles in London. 

CLIMATE CHANGE: Energy Secretary Grant Shapps and U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry host the Climate Finance Mobilisation Forum in Windsor.

COMMONS: Sits from 2.30 p.m. with leveling up questions followed by MPs debating the debate around the privileges committee’s inquiry into partygate, the Electronic Trade Documents Bill and the Northern Ireland budget bill.

LORDS: Illegal Migration Bill back in the Lords for final report stage day followed by the second day of report stage for the Online Safety Bill.

COVID-19: Cabinet Office has to hand over unredacted materials to the COVID-19 inquiry.

ENERGY: National Grid to set out plans for how to reach net-zero.

HOME AFFAIRS: Home Office Permanent Secretary Matthew Rycroft to be grilled by the public accounts committee, 4 p.m.

TUESDAY

DEFENSE: Two-day NATO summit kicks off in Vilnius. Rishi Sunak could meet European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. 

ECONOMY: Office for National Statistics to publish employment and wage statistics, 7 a.m.

COVID-19: Former Northern Ireland First Minister Arlene Foster to appear at the COVID-19 inquiry, 10 a.m.

COMMONS: Sits from 11.30 a.m. with health questions followed by the return of the Illegal Migration Bill to the Commons.

ECONOMY: Banking bosses up in front of the Treasury committee to talk about mortgages, 10.15 a.m.

WEDNESDAY

ECONOMY: Bank of England to publish its biannual report on the stability of the U.K.’s financial sector, 7 a.m.

COMMONS: Sits from 11.30 a.m. with women and equalities questions followed by PMQs and a Labour-led opposition debate. 

EQUALITIES: Chair at Equality and Human Rights Commission Kishwer Falkner to give evidence to the women and equalities committee, 1.45 p.m.

SIMON CASE: Cabinet Secretary Simon Case to be grilled by the public administration and constitutional affairs committee, 10 a.m.

WATER: Thames Water bosses and regulator Ofwat Chief Executive David Black to give evidence to the environment committee, 9.15 a.m.

ECONOMY: Former PM Liz Truss-backed Growth Commission expected to launch.

COVID-19: Sinn Fein Vice President Michelle O’Neill to give evidence to the COVID-19 inquiry, 10 a.m.

ECONOMY: Labour due to hold a summit with mortgage brokers.

THURSDAY 

ECONOMY: Office for National Statistics to publish economic growth statistics. The Office for Budget Responsibility to publish its fiscal risks report. 

COMMONS: Sits from 9.30 a.m. with transport questions followed by the business statement and debates on illicit finance and the war in Ukraine and NHS recruitment.

STRIKE: Junior doctors in England to begin five-day strike.

COVID-19: Leveling-up Secretary Michael Gove to give evidence to the COVID-19 inquiry in the afternoon. 

EDUCATION: Permanent Secretary at the Department for Education Susan Acland-Hood to give evidence on the condition of school buildings, 10 a.m.

BY-ELECTION: Hustings to be held in the race to replace Boris Johnson in Uxbridge, 6 p.m. 

LABOUR: Deputy Labour Leader Angela Rayner to speak at the Institute for Government, 9.15 a.m.

FRIDAY

ECONOMY: Office for National Statistics to publish report on the cost of living, 9.30 a.m.

Thanks: To Jones Hayden for giving Crunch some Sunday sparkle.

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