Former BBC star Mishal Husain suggests the company’s board has right-wing bias and ‘people inside it who are usually not neutral’
Former BBC newsreader Mishal Husain has suggested the corporation’s board has right-wing bias as she said some of its members are ‘not impartial’.
Ms Husain, who recently left the BBC after working there for 26 years, was responding to the accusation from critics that the organisation has a left-wing bias.
The journalist said that contrary to the allegations, the opposite is true at board level and said some of its members fail to ‘leave [their] opinions at the door.’
She was speaking after former Tory spin doctor Sir Robbie Gibb, who was appointed to the board by Boris Johnson in 2021, was accused of leading a ‘coup’ by BBC insiders.
It was claimed his actions were behind the resignations of Director-General Tim Davie and former head of BBC News Deborah Turness.
Speaking to Times Radio, Ms Husain said: ‘They [Davie and Turness] were dealing with a board that has individuals within it who are not impartial.
‘I was always told as a BBC journalist you leave your opinions at the door. You do expect that from the board as well and I don’t think that happened.’
She added it would be a ‘brave person’ who would take over from Mr Davie following his resignation.
Former BBC newsreader Mishal Husain has suggested the corporation’s board has right-wing bias as she said some of its members are ‘not impartial’
Former Tory spin doctor Sir Robbie Gibb, who was appointed to the board by Boris Johnson in 2021, was accused of leading a ‘coup’ by BBC insiders that led to the resignation of Tim Davie (pictured)
Mr Davie and Ms Turness left the BBC amid the fallout from a Panorama documentary which saw two parts of US President Donald Trump’s speech on the day of the Capital riot edited together, making it appear he made a direct call for violence.
The BBC has since apologised to Trump, who threatened to sue the corporation for up to $5 million in response.
Following the resignations, BBC board member Shumeet Banerij also quit, claiming he was ‘not consulted’ about the events in the lead up to their departure.
Husain is one of a number of high profile journalists to leave the BBC in recent years, following former Newsnight presenter Emily Maitlis.
Maitlis, who was joined by colleague Jon Sopel in moving to LBC where they now present the News Agents podcast with Lewis Goodall, has also previously hit out at alleged right-wing bias at the BBC.
Husain now works for Bloomberg, where she hosts a weekly interview-based podcast.
One of her first episodes saw her interview Nigel Farage, who responded to one question about Reform’s relationship with Russia by saying: ‘Listen, love, you’re trying ever so hard.’
