Julian Knight MP has forced the Chairman of the BBC to admit to mistakes in the way the Corporation has handled equal pay.
Sir David Clementi was being questioned by Parliament's Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport Select Committee. Whilst being grilled by Julian, who has served on the committee since 2016, he apologised for how the Corporation had handled Carrie Gracie’s complaints and acknowledged that it had made “a number of mistakes”.
As a former BBC journalist himself, Julian knows first-hand how it can be a powerful force for social mobility and has been horrified to learn about its out-of-date pay culture. His interrogation of Clementi was picked up by the New York Times and a variety of international outlets in Spain, Brazil, and Nigeria.
Julian has also been fighting hard to see more of the BBC’s budget spent in the West Midlands, where licence fee-payers get a very poor deal compared to other parts of the UK.
In response to the news, Julian Knight said:
“The BBC is one of our most cherished national institutions – to see its good name being dragged through the mud is a real horror show for me and everybody else who supports it.
“The excuses and justifications that BBC bosses have offered to date are not nearly good enough, and Sir David was right to apologise for the way that Carrie Gracie has been treated. But this can’t be fixed with words: the BBC must take action on equal pay, and take it now.”