Summary of complaint
We received complaints from people who feel Nadine Dorries was allowed to make inaccurate and biased comments, without challenge, about Sue Gray’s proposed appointment to Sir Keir Starmer’s office.
Our response
The World at One reported on the news that former Civil Servant Sue Gray had been offered a role by Sir Keir Starmer and the publication of an interim report by the Privileges Committee into Partygate in one sequence on the programme. Nadine Dorries, a strong supporter of the former Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, gave her reaction to Ms Gray’s appointment and this was followed by more coverage of the Privileges Committee findings and an interview with the former senior civil servant and cross bench peer, Lord Kerslake.
ÌýNadine Dorries was the first and only Cabinet minister and Boris Johnson loyalist to have given an interview about Sue Gray’s appointment, and the programme was keen to press her on her reaction as well as what the appointment meant for the work of the Privileges Committee. In hindsight we agree that there should have been more challenge to Ms Dorries’ claims.
ÌýListeners who heard the full sequence will have been aware that Lord Kerslake did go onto question the claim that Ms Gray and Sir Keir Starmer were personal friends and he also defended Ms Gray’s professional integrity as a senior civil servant. He also made the point that other Governments have recruited senior civil servants to such a role in the past.
ÌýHowever we accept that the decision not to hear from Lord Kerslake directly after Ms Dorries’ interview, coupled with the lack of challenge by the presenter and the detail with which Ms Dorries set out her points, may have left some listeners with the impression that her claims were not contested.
ÌýThis was not our intention and we have published a note on our website to acknowledge this, which you can see here: