The row between Sir Robbie Gibb and BBC Newsnight over Lewis Goodall is unlikely to be resolved any time soon as both sides are refusing to back down.
“Lewis isn’t that BBC employee who became Theresa May’s director of communications,” a Newsnight source told The Londoner, while Gibb said he stood by his comments. Yesterday Gibb, the former head of the BBC’s political programming, asked “is there anyone more damaging to the BBC’s reputation for impartiality than Lewis Goodall?”
Goodall, Newsnight’s policy editor, has a joint byline on piece in this week’s New Statesman, headlined “Failed: how the Government’s ineptitude created a lost generation”. Gibb told us “it’s important that staff leave their personal politics at the door when they join the BBC”. He added "it's an ongoing battle to demonstrate the BBC is impartial and most BBC journalists do a great job."
The Newsnight source also pointed out that Gibb’s brother Nick is the minister for schools, adding: “Any good journalist knows that context is everything and Sir Robbie’s comments perhaps out to be seen with those facts in mind.”
The BBC, which signed off the piece, also said in a statement: “We do not control how the piece is presented on the cover when published.”
---
LONDON’S night czar Amy Lamé has hit out at the Government’s failure over nightclubs re-opening, though other indoor venues have. Lamé tells us clubs still don’t know when they can reopen. She continues: “It’s vital that the Government lets the industry know when and how they can fully open again so that they can properly prepare”. We’ll be first in line.
---
BROADCASTER Gyles Brandreth recalls meeting the actor Rex Harrison in his forthcoming book The Oxford Book of Theatrical Anecdotes. Brandreth says Harrison told him the classic story of his stage debut when he only had one line. “He had to run on and say excitedly, ‘It’s a baby— fetch a doctor.’ Unfortunately, he ran on and said, ‘It’s a doctor—fetch a baby.’”
SW1A
Larry the Downing Street cat is to be immortalised in children’s picture-book form. The mouse-hunting moggy will star in Larry at Number 10 by Elizabeth Radcliffe, who tells us she’s been “a really big fan of Larry for a long time — he’s got such personality. When Dilyn [the No 10 dog] came on the scene I had an idea for the story... Larry gets his whiskers put out of joint.” The book, which is planned for later this year, will reveal all. Finding Freedom, eat your heart out.
---
... ... And Downing Street’s other famous resident was spotted earlier this week — imprinted on the leggings of a woman having a photo shoot outside Number 10. The Conservative staffer who saw it tells us “I was shocked to see Dom Cummings staring at me from a place I didn’t expect”.
Sadie and Raff have fruity time together
Read More
Sadie Frost and son Rafferty Law tucked into some watermelon as they gave the camera their “crazy melon faces” last night. Meanwhile model Leomie Anderson went wild in her penthouse suite in Miami, Sam Smith thanked their fans for “all their love” and support for their latest record, and singer Mabel looked chic as she stepped out of a 4x4. Now try that with a Vaxuhall Corsa.